Archeological Survey Of The Jefferson Street Lift Station Force And Gravity Main Corridors And Louise Hays And Lehmann-Monroe Parks, City Of Kerrville Kerr County, Texas

In April 2013, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., performed an archeological survey for proposed sewer and water main improvements and park improvements in the City of Kerrville, Texas. The work was done for Freese and Nichols, Inc., and the City of Kerrville, under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 6508. Three contiguous project areas totaling 96 acres were surveyed: the Jefferson Street lift station force main corridor, the Jefferson Street gravity main and water line corridor, and Louise Hays and Lehmann-Monroe Parks. In total, 62 shovel tests and 4 backhoe trenches were excavated. No new archeological sites were found. Two previously recorded sites (41KR105 and 41KR677) were shovel tested and evaluated. Both are disturbed, sparse lithic scatters and lack important information; they are considered ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as State Archeological Landmarks. Survey determined that the modern Guadalupe River floodplain at Kerrville consists of extensive gravel deposits that appear to be the result of recent high-energy deposition associated with periodic scouring of the river valley. Given its age and the depositional/erosional context, this floodplain is very unlikely to contain intact archeological sites. The south end of the Jefferson Street lift station force main, ca. 80 percent of Louise Hays and Lehmann-Monroe Parks, and all of the gravity main and water line corridor are in this floodplain setting; no further archeological work is warranted in any of these areas. The west edge of the park area and the north part of the force main corridor are on higher terraces with a greater potential for archeological sites, but survey indicates that both areas are substantially disturbed and do not contain intact archeological sites. Hence, no further archeological work is recommended in either area

Current Research in the Sabine Mine’s Rusk Permit, Rusk County, Texas

In 2014–2015, Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted test excavations at seven Native American sites—41RK674, 41RK680, 41RK693, 41RK695, 41RK703, 41RK704, and 41RK729—in northeast Rusk County, Texas. These sites are in Area W of the South Hallsville No. 1 Mine’s Rusk Permit, which is operated by North American Coal Corporation–Sabine Mine. The excavations consisted of 92 m2 (80.7 m3) of hand-dug test units and 63 backhoe trenches (702 m2). Testing determined that the sites have components dating as early as the Middle Archaic period (ca. 3500 B.C.) and as late as the Late Caddo period (late A.D. 1400s), with Late Archaic, Woodland, Early Caddo, and Middle Caddo components represented as well. Four sites have moderate to high densities of cultural materials representing substantial Native American occupations, although none have middens indicating especially prolonged use. Sites 41RK674 and 41RK693 are interpreted as Late Caddo and Middle Caddo farmsteads, respectively, albeit briefly occupied ones. Site 41RK703 has prominent Middle Archaic and probably Late Archaic components representing repeated use as a campsite, with lesser Woodland and Early Caddo components indicating non-residential use. The primary component at 41RK704 represents repeated use during the Woodland period as a special-purpose campsite, and a secondary Early Caddo component reflects less-intensive use as a procurement/processing location or short-term campsite. The other three sites were used less intensively, with 41RK680 having a Woodland component, 41RK695 having a Late Caddo component, and 41RK729 having an unidentified Caddo component; these sites likely were used as procurement or processing locations or short-term campsites

Archeological Survey Of The Proposed Mary Rhodes Water Pipeline (Phase II) From The Colorado River To The Navidad-Lavaca River Authority\u27s West Water Delivery System, Jackson And Matagorda Counties Texas

In August 2010 and February–April 2012, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., performed an archeological survey for the proposed Mary Rhodes water pipeline (Phase II) in Jackson and Matagorda Counties, Texas. The work was done for Freese and Nichols, Inc., and the City of Corpus Christi under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 5688. Field survey targeted the most likely locations for Native American sites, consisting of the 24-acre pump station tract on the Colorado River and 5.35 km of pipeline route at 11 stream crossings, as well as several potential historic localities identified through analysis of historic maps and aerial photographs. In total, 56 shovel tests and 58 backhoe trenches were excavated. A single archeological site was found. This site, 41MG136, is an elevated railroad bed on the floodplain of the Colorado River that was built in the first decade of the twentieth century and abandoned by 1989. It is not considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a State Archeological Landmark. No further archeological work is recommended

National Register Testing at 41HM46, Hamilton County, Texas: CR 294 Bridge Replacement at the Leon River

Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted test excavations at site 41HM46 in Hamilton County, Texas, to determine its eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The work was performed in September 2003 in conjunction with a proposed bridge replacement on County Road 294 over the Leon River. The excavations consisted of three backhoe trenches, eight shovel tests, and seven hand-dug test units totaling 7 m3. Excavations yielded a small assemblage of chipped stone artifacts (tools, cores, and unmodified debitage), two features, and other cultural materials that appear to be associated with occupations ranging from the Late Archaic to possibly the Late Prehistoric. Although most of the artifacts and other cultural materials were recovered from an undisturbed cumulic soil, there was no clear vertical separation of deposits or discrete components. The low artifact frequency, lack of well-defined features, and scarcity of potential temporal indicators such as diagnostic tools or charcoal for radiocarbon dating make the site unlikely to yield important information. Based on these factors, it is recommended that 41HM46 be judged ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places

Archeological Investigations and National Register Testing at 41CV1636, Coryell County, Texas

Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), conducted archeological testing of 41CV1636 for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division, under Contract No. 575XXSA006 (Work Authorization No. 57530SA006) and Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3980 from the Texas Historical Commission. Site 41CV1636 is situated in northwestern Coryell County, approximately 13 km east of Evant, Texas. The site was located during an archeological survey for a proposed roadway widening project along U.S. Highway 84. Proposed design plans required an additional 5 m of new right of way that would directly impact 41CV1636. Site 41CV1636 is a prehistoric site buried in Holocene alluvium of a relict channel of Cowhouse Creek. At this location, Cowhouse Creek has a ca. 1.5-km-wide stretch of Holocene alluvium. Archeological testing consisted of the excavation of two backhoe trenches and four 1x1-m hand-dug units. All sediments were water-screened. Excavations recovered a rather large lithic assemblage and two burned rock features: a partially dismantled slab-lined, basin-shaped hearth and a possible burned rock discard pile or stockpile. The recovery of Pedernales and Provisional Type 1 projectile point forms argues for a multicomponent occupation during portions of the early Late Archaic Period; however, only one analysis unit could be defined. The alluvial deposits at 41CV1636 appear correlative to the Fort Hood and West Range alluvium identified by other researchers along downstream portions of Cowhouse Creek on the Fort Hood military reservation. Soil stratigraphy at the site indicates that cultural occupations occurred as floodplain aggradation slowed and soil development began. Sedimentation via overbank flooding and colluvial deposition continued at a pace quick enough to impose some vertical separation between multiple occupations that occurred during a short time span. Poor preservation of organic remains has been a hindrance to providing good temporal control at the site. The lack of radiocarbon ages and poor preservation mean that few substantial statements can be made regarding chronology or subsistence. 41CV1636 is considered ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places or as a designated State Archeological Landmark, and no further work is warranted for this site

Geoarcheological and Historical Investigations in the Comal Springs Arrea, LCRA Clear Springs Autotransformer Project, Comal County, Texas

Prewitt and Associates, Inc. conducted testing and data recovery investigations at five archeological sites in the city of New Braunfels, in Comal County, Texas. The work was done in August and September 2005 for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) for its Clear Springs Autotransformer Project, which involves the replacement of high-voltage electrical transmission towers through the New Braunfels area. A transmission tower location at prehistoric site 41CM286, located on an upland ridge overlooking the Guadalupe River, was investigated with a shovel test. Deposits were limited to 10 cm overlying bedrock limestone. In a preliminary report, the site was recommended to be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks (SAL), but it was recommended that no additional investigations were necessary because the shallow deposits at the tower location contained no significant archeological deposits. A transmission tower location at prehistoric site 41CM287, located in an alluvial floodplain of a tributary to the Guadalupe River, was investigated using a shovel test to 105 cm and hand augering to 190 cm. Although prehistoric remains were encountered, the deposits were extensively disturbed. In a preliminary report, the site was recommended to be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks (SAL), and it was recommended that the transmission tower location could be drilled if monitored by an archeologist. Historic archival and oral history research was conducted for 41CM288, which consists of a historic trash dump and brick incinerator building with a tall smokestack. The site is on the Comal County Fairgrounds in New Braunfels, and research indicates that the city built the incinerator in the 1930s for disposal of urban household garbage. Archeological monitoring of the drill hole excavation at the LCRA tower location revealed that the trash deposits date to the early to middle 20th century and are associated with the city incinerator. In a preliminary report, the trash dump component was recommended to be not eligible for listing in the National Register or for designation as a SAL. The incinerator building and smokestack are in very good condition, but they will not be impacted by the LCRA project. A complete National Register and SAL assessment of the incinerator would require additional archival research to provide a historic contextual framework. Archeological testing was done at the Comal Power Plant site (41CM25) and the Landa Park Golf Course site (41CM167), both located on the broad Holocene alluvial terrace of the Comal River. At each site, the testing was expanded into a 2x2-m excavation block to constitute data recovery at the proposed tower location. Both sites contain deep, stratified deposits indicative of prehistoric base camp activities spanning from the Middle Archaic through Late Prehistoric periods. In a preliminary report, it was recommended that both sites are eligible for listing in the National Register and for designation as SALs, but that the excavations constituted mitigation of construction impacts. Three prehistoric components were identified within 150 cm of alluvial deposits at 41CM25, and three prehistoric components were identified within 190 cm of alluvial deposits at 41CM167. These components are defined, somewhat arbitrarily, as Archaic I, Archaic II, and Late Prehistoric, and these units are not correlated between the sites. Hand auger cores provided samples down to 330 cm at 41CM167, but these sparse cultural materials are not assigned to an analytical unit. The diagnostic artifacts recovered from 41CM25 are bone-tempered pottery and points typed as Early Triangular, Marcos, Montell, Pedernales, Perdiz, and reworked Andice. The diagnostic artifacts recovered from 41CM167 are Early Triangular, Edgewood, and Perdiz points. The cultural deposits at both sites span a long period of time and represent materials accumulated on a slowly aggrading xii surface. Both sites have some evidence of mixing of deposits or cultural reuse of older materials. No samples suitable for radiocarbon dating were recovered from 41CM25, so the ages of components there are not well defined. Four charcoal radiocarbon dates for 41CM167 demonstrate that 330 cm of alluvium was deposited within at least the last 4,500 years. The Late Prehistoric components at both sites probably represent Toyah phase occupations, and there seems to be an Early Triangular component at 41CM167. The cultural affiliations of the other components are less certain. All of the archeological and historic investigations for sites 41CM25, 41CM167, 41CM286, 41CM287, and 41CM288 were previously described in a preliminary report, and the LCRA and Texas Historical Commission concurred with the recommendations stated above. The construction of transmission towers has since been completed at all of the investigated sites, and the drill hole excavations were monitored to provide additional archeological and geological data. It is recommended that the testing and data recovery investigations mitigate the construction effects for LCRA’s Clear Springs Autotransformer Project, and no further work is recommended for any of these sites in response to the Clear Springs Autotransformer Project

Lithic Morphological Organization: Gahagan Bifaces from Texas and Louisiana

This study is focused upon an analysis of Gahagan biface morphology and enlists the three largest samples of these bifaces, to include that of the type site (Gahagan Mound) as well as the Mounds Plantation and George C. Davis sites. Results indicate a significant difference in Gahagan biface morphology at the Mounds Plantation site when compared with Gahagan bifaces from the Gahagan Mound and George C. Davis sites. A test of morphological integration indicates that the bifaces are significantly integrated, meaning that those traits used to characterize their shape (blade and base) vary in a coordinated manner. Tests for allometry and asymmetry were not significant. Results confirm that Gahagan biface production at Mounds Plantation differs significantly when compared with industries at Gahagan Mound and George C. Davis. Results augment previous inquiries, and provide additional evidence for a north-south divide based upon the morphology associated with communities of practice for Gahagan bifaces. When viewed in concert with similar shifts in Hickory Fine Engraved and Smithport Plain bottle morphology, multiple lines of evidence lend support to an increasingly robust argument for two previously unrecognized and morphologically-unique Caddo communities of practice

Archeological Investigations and National Register Testing at 41CV163, Coryell County, Texas

Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), conducted archeological testing of 41CV1636 for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division, under Contract No. 575XXSA006 (Work Authorization No. 57530SA006) and Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3980 from the Texas Historical Commission. Site 41CV1636 is situated in northwestern Coryell County, approximately 13 km east of Evant, Texas. The site was located during an archeological survey for a proposed roadway widening project along U.S. Highway 84. Proposed design plans required an additional 5 m of new right of way that would directly impact 41CV1636. Site 41CV1636 is a prehistoric site buried in Holocene alluvium of a relict channel of Cowhouse Creek. At this location, Cowhouse Creek has a ca. 1.5-km-wide stretch of Holocene alluvium. Archeological testing consisted of the excavation of two backhoe trenches and four 1x1-m hand-dug units. All sediments were water-screened. Excavations recovered a rather large lithic assemblage and two burned rock features: a partially dismantled slab-lined, basin-shaped hearth and a possible burned rock discard pile or stockpile. The recovery of Pedernales and Provisional Type 1 projectile point forms argues for a multicomponent occupation during portions of the early Late Archaic Period; however, only one analysis unit could be defined. The alluvial deposits at 41CV1636 appear correlative to the Fort Hood and West Range alluvium identified by other researchers along downstream portions of Cowhouse Creek on the Fort Hood military reservation. Soil stratigraphy at the site indicates that cultural occupations occurred as floodplain aggradation slowed and soil development began. Sedimentation via overbank flooding and colluvial deposition continued at a pace quick enough to impose some vertical separation between multiple occupations that occurred during a short time span. Poor preservation of organic remains has been a hindrance to providing good temporal control at the site. The lack of radiocarbon ages and poor preservation mean that few substantial statements can be made regarding chronology or subsistence. 41CV1636 is considered ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places or as a designated State Archeological Landmark, and no further work is warranted for this site

Testing And Data Recovery Excavations At 41CV286, Coryell County, Texas

In 2008–2009, Prewitt and Associates, Inc., performed testing and data recovery excavations at prehistoric site 41CV286 in Coryell County for the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division, under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4955. The investigations were prompted by the planned replacement of the County Road 314 bridge over Station Creek (CSJ No. 0909-39-117) just upstream from where it flows into the Leon River and were done in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Code of Texas. The work consisted of a ground-penetrating radar survey and excavation of 12 backhoe trenches, 14 test units, and 28 m2 in block units; manual excavations totaled 17.3 m3 . Combined, the testing and data recovery identified eight cultural features interpreted as remnants of four earth ovens, a hearth with associated discard pile, two incipient burned rock middens, and a rock discard pile. The excavations recovered 3 arrow points, 29 dart points, 46 nonprojectile bifaces and fragments, 14 unifaces and modified flake tools, 25 utilized flakes with no retouch modification, 3 cores, 13,923 pieces of debitage, 1,179 pieces of microdebitage from flotation samples, 7 battered or ground stone tools, 2,112 animal bones, 1 modified bone, 2,200 mussel shells, and 2 modified shells. Documented but not collected from both feature and nonfeature contexts were 730 kg of burned rocks. Five analytical units are defined for the site, with most of the cultural materials reflecting repeated use during the Late Archaic period as a campsite at which processing of plant foods using thermal rock features played a prominent role in site activities, along with processing of game and mussels and production and repair of stone tools. The artifacts recovered and records generated by the project are curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin

Data Recovery Investigations at the Tank Destroyer Site (41CV1378) at Fort Hood, Coryell County, Texas

Data recovery investigations at the Tank Destroyer site (41CV1378) were conducted in August 2007 for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This work was required because of potential impacts to the site from TxDOT’s planned improvements of Tank Destroyer Boulevard and State Highway 9. The investigations focused on a burned rock mound (Feature 1), one-half of which has been destroyed by an adjacent tank trail. The mound contained two internal features: an off-centered earth oven and a small cluster of Rabdotus sp. shells. With the exception of the location of its earth oven, the mound at the Tank Destroyer is typical of a classic central Texas domed mound, though slightly flattened by postdepositional processes. In all, an area of 30.5 m2 and volume of 11.8 m3 of cultural deposits were hand excavated, and an additional ca. 17.3 m2 was mechanically stripped. The mound excavations yielded 5,570.5 kg of burned rocks. Artifacts recovered from mound and nonmound contexts consist of 129 chipped stone tools, 9 cores and core fragments, 4,466 pieces of unmodified debitage, 1 ground stone tool, 2 unmodified bone fragments, 1,415 Rabdotus sp. shells, and 40 historic artifacts. In addition, 413 pieces of microdebitage and 251 Rabdotus sp. shells were recovered from flotation and soil column samples taken from the mound. There was virtually no preservation of vertebrate faunal remains and poor preservation of botanical remains. No economic plants (i.e., food resources) were recovered despite the collection and processing of flotation samples. Sixteen radiocarbon assays on charred wood and Rabdotus sp. shells date the site occupation to 1500 b.c. through a.d. 1650. The date range for the diagnostic projectile points recovered from the site (200 b.c. to a.d. 1200) fits nicely within the range of radiocarbon dates. As a group, the radiocarbon dates and the projectile points suggest that the most intensive period of site use occurred intermittently between 1000 b.c. and a.d. 1200. Like most burned rock mounds, the mound at the Tank Destroyer site consisted of a jumbled mass of burned rocks that episodically accreted around an earth oven. These processes and repeated use over centuries limit our ability to recognize distinct components for analysis. Given these limitations, our analysis took a different approach. While it includes traditional analyses of the lithic, burned rock, and snail assemblages, it also examines social identity during the Late Archaic period in central Texas and the relationships between burned rock mounds and middens and environmental variables through a landscape analysis