Archaeological Monitoring of an Electrical Conduit Trench at Mission San Francisco de la Espada (41BX4), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In April 1998, a hand-dug trench was excavated outside the parish offices of Mission San Francisco de la Espada to place below-ground electrical conduit. Due to the historic importance of the mission site, personnel from the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio monitored the digging of this trench. The remains of a possible Colonial-period wall were uncovered outside the southern end of the building. Plans were made to run the electrical conduit above ground in that area, in order to avoid damaging the historic structure

Archaeological Testing for the Walker Ranch Park Bridge Project (41BX1271), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In April 2006 the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio to perform subsurface investigations within the boundaries of site 41BX1251, in north-central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of the testing was to learn if the concrete abutment of a planned pedestrian bridge over Salado Creek would impact significant archaeological deposits in this site, which is a part of the Walker Ranch National Historic District. Five shovel tests and one backhoe trench were excavated. The shovel tests were placed within the footprint of the abutment and the backhoe trench was place approximately 10 m west of the shovel tests. Two artifacts were recovered from the shovel tests: a small piece of asbestos tile and a small piece of chert debitage. Three artifacts were observed in the backhoe trench: a piece of modern glass and two pieces of chert debitage. All artifacts were located in the upper 30 cm of sediments. No significant cultural deposits were encountered in the tests. It was recommended that the construction work continue as planned, and that no further archaeological work would be needed

San Pedro Springs Park Improvements Archaeological Testing and Monitoring at 41BX19, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

The archaeological testing and monitoring reported here was conducted within the boundaries of San Pedro Springs Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, between January and October 2002. The park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (41BX19) and contains significant prehistoric and historic archaeological resources. This investigation was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 2776 and was performed for the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. This report presents the results of archaeological testing and monitoring of areas to be impacted by park improvements. The improvements included the restoration and landscaping of a mid-nineteenth century structure; construction of a new playground; modifications to an existing playground; planting of trees; and the installation of a sprinkler system. This work resulted in the verification of a mid-nineteenth-century date for the Block House and the identification of the location of two historic trash deposits and a burned rock concentration

Mission San Jose Repointing and Underpinning Project, San Antonio, Texas

This report contains the results of archaeological work performed by the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) for the National Park Service (NPS) under Contract Numbers: 1443PX7600-97053 and 1443PX760098028. Both projects were carried out under Texas Historical Commission Permit Number 1841. The bulk of the report deals with the results of shovel testing and archaeological excavations conducted as part of the Indian Quarters Stabilization project at Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo (41BX3) for the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Appendix 1 of this report contains the results of shovel testing and the monitoring of sign removal and installation conducted at Mission San Juan, Mission Espada, Mission Concepcion, and Mission San Jose as part of the Missions Signage Removal/lnstallation Project. Mission San Jose is located ca. seven miles south of downtown San Antonio on a high terrace overlooking the west bank of the San Antonio River. On October 27 and 29, 1997, CAR personnel excavated a total of 3 9 shovel tests (ST) along the southern, eastern, and western outer walls of the mission. The test excavations were conducted in preparation for grade alterations to be undertaken along the exterior and interior walls of the mission compound. In June and late July 1998, CAR personnel conducted excavations outside the south wall and within Room 54 adjacent to the western comer of the southeast gate of the mission. These excavations were undertaken to mitigate the impact of underpinning efforts on the southwest comer of the Southeast Gate of the mission being undertaken by the NPS through a major construction contract. The shovel testing and excavations showed that: 1) some high density artifact concentrations are present outside of the western and eastern mission walls possibly representing colonial middens; 2) a large portion of the soils and cultural materials found immediately adjacent the south wall of the mission show signs of disturbance from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) efforts to relocate the colonial foundation and outer walls of the mission; 3) much of the cultural material-bearing matrix found along the south wall of the mission, inside Room 54, is also disturbed to a depth of approximately 19 inches bs, and 4) a colonial living surface exists immediately below the disturbed zone in portions of the interior of Room 54 and under the southeast gate. Due to the urgency of the construction contractor to complete the regrading and underpinning efforts to reduce erosion and stabilize the southwest comer of the southeast gate, work on these projects proceeded concurrently and immediately following the archaeological investigations. However, it is the opinion of CAR that the regrading project impacted no intact cultural materials and, in fact, may have served to preserve, through burial, future disturbances to the deeper buried (less disturbed) colonial zone. In addition, the archaeological investigations conducted by CAR have recovered significant data and mitigated the impact of construction activities related to the underpinning of the southwest comer of the southeast gate. We commend the NPS and the construction contractor for their cooperation and collaboration in these efforts

The Alamo Restoration and Conservation Project: Excavations at the South Transept

In January 1995, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, as custodians of the Alamo Shrine for the state of Texas, contracted with the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio to excavate and/or monitor excavation of approximately 29 square meters outside and 11 square meters inside the south wall of the south transept of the Alamo church. The excavations were made necessary by a plan to insert metal plates into the walls of the Alamo near the foundation, to prevent further damage being caused by groundwater in the lower part of the walls of the 250-year-old building. Excavations in January and February 1995 determined that artifacts inside the church were largely of nineteenth century origin; however, in one area numerous Colonial-period artifacts were found. The sediment inside the church, under the flagstone floor, was found to be broken stone rubble mixed with loose sandy clay. Exterior sediments from the ground surface to the top of the foundation, approximately 60 cm below ground surface, were severely disturbed. One 10-cm level east of the south transept appears to be an intact nineteenth-century level. Most dateable artifacts from the exterior can be assigned to the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. On the final day of excavations, the sediments at the bottom of the excavations inside the church collapsed in three places. What appeared to be human remains were seen in two of these openings, approximately 20 cm below the lowest excavated level. These holes were backfilled and no further investigation of the remains was attempted

Archaeological Testing for the Mission Road Realignment Project, Phase II, at Mission Concepcion, San Antonio, Texas

In July 1988, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) contracted with the city of San Antonio to perform archaeological testing for the Mission Road Realignment Project. This project was designated as Phase II since CAR performed previous archaeological testing during February 1987 (Labadie 1989). The Mission Road Realignment Project, Phase II proposed to relocate the position of Mission Road outside the line of the original west wall of Mission Concepcion. The testing sought to determine whether any structural remains or cultural deposits that may have been located outside the mission wall would be impacted by the proposed roadway. Archaeological testing with hand-excavated units and backhoe trenches established the location of the west wall of the mission quadrangle and a portion of an interior structure wall foundation with an associated hearth and cultural midden. The northwest corner of the mission is believed to be located under the current Mission Road. Mission-period pottery, metals tools, projectile points, and animal bone were recovered from the excavations

Archaeological Monitoring of the Urban Reach Section of the San Antonio River Improvement Project:Archaeological Monitoring of the Urban Reach Section of the San Antonio River Improvement Project

Between May of 2007 and February of 2009, archaeologists monitored the removal of soil from the banks of the San Antonio River in preparation for the Riverwalk expansion between the Lexington Avenue Dam to Josephine Street Bridge. The project was part of the Museum “Urban” Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project. The Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by Ford, Powell and Carson Architects & Planners, Inc. This work was complete under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 5377, issued by the Texas Historical Commission. Several features were uncovered during the excavations. Two new sites were recorded. Site 41BX1817 is the Alamo Mills Dam located just north of the VFW Post #76. Site 41BX1818 is the Lexington Avenue Dam. A series of features were located on the west bank of the San Antonio River in the vicinity of the Lone Star Brewery (present day San Antonio Museum of Art), with remnants of these features likely still located within the river bank. Other features identified during the monitoring were documented and removed. A small number of artifacts were collected and are curated at the CAR facility

The Medio Creek Site (41BX1421): National Register Test Excavations, Bexar County Texas

During April 2001, the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted National Register of Historic Places eligibility testing for archeological site 41BX1421, located in southwest Bexar County, Texas, under contract with the Texas Department of Transportation. The investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 2569. The Phase II testing fieldwork consisted of excavation of five test units across the site to investigate cultural deposits encountered during the previous survey phase. A single sheet midden consisting of burned limestone cobbles was encountered across the majority of the site. In concert with the archeological field investigations, the following special analyses and studies were performed to aid the determination of site integrity and eligibility: radiocarbon, lithic, aboriginal ceramic, vertebrate faunal. and magnetic sediment susceptibility. The synthesis of these analyses has provided adequate data to determine 41BX1421 ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is therefore recommended that the Loop 1604 improvements proceed without further cultural resources investigations

Archeological Survey for the Loop 410 Improvements Project City of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the HNTB Corporation (contracted by TxDOT) in 2000 to conduct an archeological survey of the proposed Loop 410 Improvements Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) is the current ROW and the proposed new ROW along Loop 410 and the three highways intersected by the loop. The project area is located along the southwestern portion of Loop 410 beginning about 0.61 miles northeast of FM 3487 (Culebra Road) and ending 2.25 miles east of IH 35 South. In addition, the project area included varying distances along three highways that intersect with Loop 410: SH 151, US 90, and US 35. The archeological work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee permit #3003 with Steve A. Tomka serving as Principal Investigator during the Phase I and Jennifer L. Thompson serving during Phase II and III. The intensive pedestrian survey was conducted in three phases. Phase I was conducted from July to September 2005. Phase II, was completed in April and May of 2007. No new archeology sites were documented during Phase I and II of archeological investigations. Four sites were revisited (41BX555, 41BX556, 41BX683 and 41BX704). All proved to be impacted by development and no cultural material was recovered. Phase III of the project consisted of 16 backhoe trenches placed in areas where deeply buried cultural deposits were probable. Only one trench (BHT 13) encountered artifacts. Testing was recommended on this site to determine if the site retains enough significance to make it eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and/or for designation as a State Archeological Landmark (SAL). Tex Site forms requesting a trinomial were submitting and the field site was deemed 41BX1749. Access to properties along the proposed ROW was limited and 18 properties within the proposed ROW remain unsurveyed. CAR recommends survey of these properties when access is granted. All artifacts and records collected or generated during this project are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines

Archeological Testing and Monitoring of the Proposed Roma Visitor Complex, City of Roma, Starr County, Texas

In February and March 2003, staff from the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted archeological testing and monitoring within the boundaries of the National Historic Landmark District of Roma, Texas. This work was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the Programmatic Agreement of the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Texas Antiquities Code. The archeological services were conducted under contract with Kell Muñoz Architects of San Antonio and in coordination with the City of Roma and the Pharr District of the Texas Department of Transportation. The sites examined included 41SR210 (Antonia Sáenz Residence), 41SR211 (Stone Cottage), 41SR212 (Rafael García-Ramirez House and Store), 41SR215 (Ramirez Hospital), and 41SR337 (The Coffee Pot Café). This report presents the results of archeological testing and monitoring of areas to be impacted by improvements. The improvements include stabilization of historic building walls, installation of utility lines, and the construction of an amphitheater located in the courtyard. This work supported the information concerning the dates of occupation and construction at each site. The cultural materials found were a mixture of artifacts that likely date to before, during, and after the period of construction of each of the buildings. Because these artifacts were not preserved in an archeological context that dates to a particular historical period of Roma and none were recovered from distinct archeological features from such a time period, none of the archeological deposits investigated can be considered to be National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligible. Overall, it is the conclusion of CAR that the substantial construction-related impacts related to the Roma Visitor Complex project will not impact intact cultural deposits. Even areas within the National Historic Landmark District that will be subject to relatively shallow, subsurface disturbances retain no intact cultural deposits that would be eligible for nomination to the NRHP or may be contributing to the existing National Historic Landmark properties. Finally, the one area where cultural materials with limited research value may be encountered will not be adversely impacted by construction activities. These archeological investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3052, with Dr. Steve A. Tomka, CAR Director, serving as Principal Investigator. All cultural materials to be curated were prepared in accordance with federal regulation 36 CFR part 79. All collected artifacts and project-related documents will be permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research