2015 Ground-penetrating Radar Survey at the Alamo, Bexar County, Texas

A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigation was conducted by members of the Archeology Division of the Texas Historical Commission at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas on December 2, 2015. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether GPR is a suitable technology for mapping subsurface features on the site in advance of future archeological investigations or development. Nine separate GPR grids were surveyed to provide a broad sample of the areas that may retain buried historical features. The General Land Office of Texas owns and manages the Alamo. In compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas, the work was conducted under Antiquities Permit #7485. Records for this project are curated at the THC’s Center for Artifact Research

National Register Testing of Site 41BT427, Burnet County, Texas

Between October 1 and October 19, 2007, archeologists from Geo-Marine, Inc., conducted National Register of Historic Places eligibility testing at site 41BT427 in Burnet County, Texas, under contract to the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division. This prehistoric site was originally recorded by PBS&J during a cultural resources survey for a proposed bridge replacement project at the North Rocky Creek crossing of FM 963 (CSJ 1198-02-017). During that investigation, the site was initially identified by a series of three trenches located on the northeastern quadrant of the right-of-way. Three small, burned rock features were originally recorded in two of the trenches. During the current project by Geo-Marine, the bridge replacement area was again investigated. Thirteen trenches were dug within the project area: nine survey trenches in the northwest, southwest, and southeast quadrants outside the known boundary of site 41BT427, and four trenches within the site itself in the northeast quadrant. The current investigation within site 41BT427 involved the mechanical excavation of the four trenches (29.5 linear meters) and the hand excavation of eight test units (8.94 cubic meters) within the site boundary (an additional test unit was excavated south of the site boundary). Only one definable cultural component was identified at site 41BT427. This site appears to represent an ephemeral, short-term camp with a very sparse material signature. No diagnostic material was recovered during excavation. The single feature identified consisted of a very small, disarticulated cluster of six burned rocks and a limited amount of cultural material. The general lack of cultural material and feature/artifact associations within the site hampers the ability to draw conclusions regarding site function and prehistoric activity. Due to the low artifact density and the lack of cultural features, site 41BT427 does not have the potential to make significant contributions to the knowledge of the region. Thus, site 41BT427 fails to meet the standards of Criterion D or any other significance standard required for assessing National Register eligibility. Site 41BT427 is recommended not eligible for National Register inclusion, and no further archeological investigations are recommended. In addition to site testing, survey trenching (as well as an additional test unit) within the remaining three quadrants that was not completed during the initial PBS&J cultural resources survey was conducted as a part of this Geo-Marine investigation. Based on trench observations and background research, this proposed borrow area is highly unlikely to contain archeological historic properties (36 CFR 800.16:[I]) or State Archeological Landmarks (13 TAC 26.12), and no further archeological investigations are recommended for these areas

Archeological Testing at 41TR170, along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, Tarrant County, Texas

Archeologists from Geo-Marine, Inc., were subcontracted through Prewitt and Associates, Inc., of Austin to conduct National Register of Historic Places evaluative testing at archeological site 41TR170, located in Tarrant County, Texas. This work (Geo-Marine project number 30353.06.02) was conducted for the Environmental Affairs Division of the Texas Department of Transportation under contract/work authorization 57524SA006. The archeological remains are located on and in the alluvial terrace of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, within the proposed 130-meter-wide right-of-way of State Highway 121 in southwestern Fort Worth. The work was conducted to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1969, as amended (Public Law 89-665); the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-670); and the Antiquities Code of Texas, as incorporated into Title 98, Chapter 191, of the Natural Resources Code of Texas of 1977, as amended. The work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 3699 issued by the Texas Historical Commission. A three-stage field tactic was used during the testing of the site. Stage 1, conducted between March 15 and 29, 2005, consisted of archeological monitoring of the mechanical excavation of 28 backhoe trenches, followed by geomorphological field studies of the trench profiles. Trenches were placed both north and south of a relic channel of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River; the present channel was formed in the late 1960s by river-straightening channelization efforts. Efforts were made to ensure archeological sampling of all feature- and artifact-bearing areas previously identified in trenches dug during the 2000 archeological survey. The second stage, which occurred between March 21 and April 29, 2005, involved the manual excavation of 10 test units to depths of 2 meters below surface using standard 10-centimeter-thick levels. The purpose of this phase was to assess the reliability of the backhoe trench monitoring activities and to locate occupation zones worthy of further excavations. The third stage of field investigations was conducted between May 2 and June 3, 2005, and consisted of the mechanical stripping of the overburden above target occupation surfaces and the manual excavation of three block excavations, each 9 square meters, to a depth of 40 centimeters below surface. Upon completion of the fieldwork, a fourth stage comprised a limited analysis to document the nature of the recovered assemblage and to make National Register recommendations about the site, and a final stage was to design a plan for further study or analysis that would then be based on the results of an interim report. The geomorphic investigations, coupled with the processing of eight radiocarbon dates, ascertained that the upper 2 meters of the Clear Fork sediments date to the past 2,900 years. All trenches contained evidence of the regionally dominant West Fork paleosol that is buried under a thin layer of recent alluvium. Beneath the West Fork paleosol were grayish and yellowish clayey strata, and stringers of pea-sized gravels could be correlated to many of the trenches onsite. The substrate for a series of trenches dug into the south edge of the site encountered cemented gravels that likely date to the Pleistocene age. These gravels extend above the Holocene alluvial sediments onsite and provide some minor relief above the floodplain. Although some bioturbation has blurred boundaries between the West Fork paleosol and more recent sediments, the degree of sediment movement is not as pronounced as observed in many other parts of Texas. The excavations generally documented a series of low-density, highly stratified occupations that could not be correlated with any great assurance. The site context and integrity of deposits are generally excellent. Nevertheless, the paucity of remains in most areas is generally insufficient to provide data necessary to address many regional research questions. Site 41TR170 is not unique in this regard, because many sites within the Trinity River basin seem to be short-term specialized logistical extractive activity areas rather than campsites. Two areas of 41TR170, however, seem to be exceptions to low-density, brief occupations and contain a range of features unlike any previously encountered or recorded in the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. In an area located about 60 meters north of the relic river channel, Block 2 exposed part of a deeply buried (180–220 centimeters below surface) ashy zone with abundant charcoal flecks and burned clay daub that occasionally retained impressions of sticks and small posts. Three burned rock features (small pits, scattered rocks, and rock dump concentrations) were found within this ashy zone, but they were not associated with the genesis of the ash. Bone preservation in this zone was good (numbering 121 specimens), but only one stone tool and four pieces of manufacture/maintenance debris were found. Based on the stratigraphic position and the recovery of one unclassified dart point, this feature is possibly Transitional Archaic in affiliation. Indeed, four radiocarbon dates from two features and the top and bottom of the ashy zone reaffirm that the occupation dates between A.D. 540 and 710 (two sigma dates, tree-ring calibrated), and relates to the Transitional Archaic period. The genesis of the thick ashy zone is problematic and not well understood. The radiocarbon dates suggest that the 40-centimeter-thick ashy zone did not develop instantaneously but rather apparently accumulated over a span of about 180 years (ca. 1,270 and 1,450 years ago). Even though a few rock features and some relatively high density of bone are preserved in this ashy sediment, the low density of remains suggests that the deposit cannot be considered an occupation midden. The age range also suggests that this is not a burned architectural structure. The formation process resulting in a 40-centimeter-thick ashy zone remains unknown. In an area almost 150 meters south of the relic channel, an extensive area of burned rock covering at least 12-x-12 meters was encountered. Noncontiguous Blocks 1 and 3 were opened to explore the variability of burned rock features and ascertain the kinds of remains present. The recovery of two dart points (a Trinity and a Yarbrough) at comparable depths of 90 to 130 centimeters below surface suggests that this area along the edge of the Pleistocene gravel terrace was repeatedly occupied during the Late Archaic period. Among the burned rock features revealed in Block 3 was one large incipient burned rock oven with a pit measuring 2.54 meters in diameter surrounded by a discard ring of burned rocks that were only some 20 centimeters thick. Another cluster of burned rock more deeply buried in the sediments suggests multiple occupations. In adjacent Block 1 were two smaller (possible) pit ovens about 1 meter in diameter, an elongated pile of rock stored for reuse, a few rake-off piles or dumps, and one area of fitted burned rock that might have served as a large griddle-like feature. Tools and chipped stone debris were moderately abundant in Block 1, but rare in Block 3. Bone preservation in this area was very poor, although several hundred fragments of scattered freshwater mussel shell were present. Analysis of shell umbos or hinges indicates that about 59 shells were present in Block 1 and only 50 hinges in Block 3; none were concentrated into discrete discard features. The size, density, and morphological variability of the burned rock features are unlike anything previously seen in the Trinity River basin. Four radiocarbon dates from Blocks 1 and 3 suggest that the series of occupations date between A.D. 540 and 780 (2-sigma dates, tree-ring calibrated). Indeed the radiocarbon dates indicate that the activities resulting in the accumulation of dense burned rock features exposed in Blocks 1 and 3 are culturally contemporaneous with the activities occurring in the thick ashy zone located some 170 to 210 meters apart, even though they undoubtedly represent multiple reuse of the area. The two areas may not have been occupied simultaneously, for the low artifact density suggests that comparable groups of people from the Transitional Archaic period made the distinctly different occupational signatures in the two areas. The testing phase of work at 41TR170 has documented considerable variability in feature forms during the Transitional Archaic period for the Trinity River basin. Test probes also strongly suggest that many more burned rock features occur parallel to the Pleistocene gravel terrace. In this regard, the testing has not exhausted the information potential related to the spatial patterning in activities by these people. However, the associated stone, shell, and bone artifact assemblages are relatively meager. Similarly, extensive flotation has failed to find any macrobotanical remains other than a single nutshell and small amounts of wood charcoal. Efforts to retrieve lipids samples from the burned rock feature proved to be successful, but the results were not very helpful in providing insight into the diversity of feature activities. Although examination of more burned rock features may stumble on examples of cooking accidents that preserve ancient foodstuff, the current robust level of testing suggests that the information content from the site is relatively limited. For this reason, even though the site is of considerable interest from a regional perspective, the site seemingly does not have the potential to make further contributions to the knowledge of the region. Thus, site 41TR170 fails to meet the standards of Criterion D or any other significance standard required for assessing National Register eligibility. Site 41TR170 is recommended as not eligible for National Register inclusion, and no further archeological investigations are recommended

Big Hole (41TV2161): Two Stratigraphically Isolated Middle Holocene Components in Travis County, Texas Volume I

During April and May 2006, an archeological team from the Cultural Resources Section of the Planning, Permitting and Licensing Practice of TRC Environmental Corporation’s (TRC) Austin office conducted geoarcheological documentation and data recovery excavations at prehistoric site 41TV2161 (CSJ: 0440-06-006). Investigations were restricted to a 70 centimeter (cm) thick target zone between ca. 220 and 290 cm below surface (bs) on the western side of site 41TV2161 – the Big Hole site in eastern Travis County, Texas. This cultural investigation was necessary under the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the implementing regulations of 36CRF Part 800 and the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191 as amended) to recover a sample of the significant cultural materials prior to destruction by planned construction of State Highway 130 (SH 130). The latter by a private construction firm – Lone Star Infrastructure. This necessary data recovery was for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental (ENV) Affairs Division under a Scientific Services Contract No. 577XXSA003 (Work Authorization No. 57701SA003). Over the years since the original award, multiple work authorizations between TxDOT and TRC were implemented and completed towards specific aspects of the analyses and reporting. The final analyses and report were conducted under contract 57-3XXSA004 (Work Authorization 57-311SA004). All work was under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 4064 issued by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to J. Michael Quigg. Initially, an archeological crew from Hicks & Company encountered site 41TV2161 during an intensive cultural resource inventory conducted south of Pearce Lane along the planned construction zone of SH 130 in the fall of 2005. Following the initial site discovery, archeologists expanded their investigations to the west across the SH 130 right-of-way, and completed excavation of 10 backhoe trenches, 13 shovel tests, and 11 test units at site 41TV2161. The investigations encountered at least seven buried cultural features and 1,034 artifacts, some in relatively good context. The survey and testing report to TxDOT presented their findings and recommendations (Campbell et al. 2006). The ENV Affairs Division of TxDOT and the THC reviewed the initial findings and recommendations, and determined site 41TV2161 was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and as State Antiquities Landmark as the proposed roadway development was to directly impact this important site and further excavations were required. Subsequently, TRC archeologists led by Paul Matchen (Project Archeologist) and J. Michael Quigg (Principal Investigator) initiated data recovery excavations through the mechanical-removal of between 220 and 250 cm of sediment from a 30-by-40 meter (m) block area (roughly 3,000 m3). This was conducted to allow hand-excavations to start just above the deeply buried, roughly 70 cm thick targeted zone of cultural material. Mechanical stripping by Lone Star Infrastructure staff created a large hole with an irregular bottom that varied between 220 and 260 cmbs. To locate specific areas to initiate hand-excavations within the mechanically stripped area, a geophysical survey that employed ground penetrating radar (GPR) was conducted by Tiffany Osburn then with Geo-Marine in Plano, Texas. Over a dozen electronic anomalies were detected through the GPR investigation. Following processing, data filtering, and assessment, Osburn identified and ranked the anomalies for investigation. The highest ranked anomalies (1 through 8) were thought to have the greatest potential to represent cultural features. Anomalies 1 through 6 were selected and targeted through hand-excavations of 1-by-1 m units that formed continuous excavation blocks of various sizes. Blocks were designated A, B, C, D, E, and F. The type, nature, quantity, and context of encountered cultural materials in each block led the direction and expansion of each excavation block as needed. In total, TRC archeologists hand-excavated 38.5 m3 (150 m2) from a vertically narrow target zone within this deep, multicomponent and stratified prehistoric site. Hand-excavation in the two largest Blocks, B and D (51 m2 and 62 m2 respectively), revealed two vertically separate cultural components between roughly 220 and 290 cmbs. The younger component was restricted to Block B and yielded a Bell/Andice point and point base, plus a complete Big Sandy point. These points were associated with at least eight small burned rock features, one cluster of ground stone tools, limited quantities of lithic debitage, few formal chipped and ground stone tools, and a rare vertebrate faunal assemblage. Roughly 20 to 25 cm below the Bell/Andice component in Block B and across Block D was a component identified by a single corner-notched Martindale dart point. This point was associated with a scattered burned rocks, three charcoal stained hearth features, scattered animal, bird, and fish bones, mussel shells, and less than a dozen formal chipped and ground stone tools. Both identified components contained cultural materials in good stratigraphic context with high spatial integrity. Significant, both were radiocarbon dated by multiple charcoal samples to a narrow 200-year period between 5250 and 5450 B.P. during the middle Holocene. With exception of the well-preserved faunal assemblages, perishable materials were poorly preserved in the moist silty clay loam. Charcoal lacked structure and was reduced to dark stains. Microfossils (e.g., phytoliths and starch gains) were present, although in very limited numbers and deteriorated conditions. The four much smaller Blocks (A, C, E, and F) yielded various quantities of cultural material and features, but these blocks also lacked sufficient charcoal dates and diagnostic artifacts Those artifacts and samples were left unassigned and analyzed separately from the Bell/Andice and Martindale components. The two well-defined components in Blocks B and D are the focus of this technical report. The components provide very significant data towards understanding rare and poorly understood hunter-gatherer populations during late stages of the Altithermal climate period. This final report builds upon the interim report submitted to TxDOT (Quigg et al. 2007) that briefly described the methods, excavations, preliminary findings, initial results from six feasibility studies, and proposed an initial research design for data analyses. Context and integrity of the cultural materials in the two identified components was excellent. This rare circumstance combined with detailed artifact analyses, solid documentation of their ages through multiple radiocarbon dates, and multidisciplinary approach to analyses, allowed significant insights and contributions concerning the two populations involved. Results provide a greater understanding of human behaviors during a rarely identified time in Texas Prehistory. The cultural materials and various collected samples were temporarily curated at TRC’s Austin laboratory. Following completion of analyses and acceptance of this final report, the artifacts, paper records, photographs, and electronic database were permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS) at Texas State University in San Marcos