Archeological Survey For The West Borgfeld Drive Improvements From Timberline Drive To Blanco Road, Bexar County, Texas

On February 27, 2015, Prewitt and Associates, Inc. conducted an archeological survey for proposed improvements along West Borgfeld Drive from Timberline Drive to Blanco Road in Bexar County, Texas. The project will reconstruct West Borgfeld Drive from two lanes to four lanes. These improvements will take place within the existing 86-ft-wide right of way of West Borgfeld Drive and comprise a horizontal Area of Potential Effects (APE) of ca. 20 acres. The survey found that the existing right of way West Borgfeld Drive is disturbed by travel lanes, overhead and buried utility lines, previous land leveling or grading, and erosion, which has stripped much of the landscape of its soil mantle. No archeological sites or materials were encountered during the survey. Therefore, it is recommended that the project proceed without any further archeological work

Sixmile Creek Drainage Improvements, Project SA-43 Bexar County, Texas

On June 2–3, 2014, Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted an archeological survey for proposed drainage improvements along a ca. 2,800-foot (ft) (853 meter [m]) segment of the Sixmile Creek channel downstream from Roosevelt Avenue in San Antonio, Texas. Desktop research and an earlier field reconnaissance found that the Area of Potential Effects (APE) has little to no potential of yielding significant archeological resources based on the geologic and geomorphic setting and twentieth-century channel and landscape modifications. Based on these findings, the current investigations focused on two known cultural resources near the APE: the Stinson #1 cemetery (part of 41BX789) and the ca. 1925 Airport Captain’s House. The Stinson #1 cemetery is outside the APE. Investigations consisting of mechanical scraping and trenching in a search for unmarked graves focused on the area between the cemetery and the APE. No unmarked graves were found. The standing structures associated with the Airport Captain’s House, which consist of a house and garage, are outside the APE, but residential debris, most likely associated with the use of these structures, was observed scattered across the surface and intersecting the APE. The standing structures, along with the historic artifact scatter, were recorded as archeological site 41BX2010. As an archeological resource, it is recommended that 41BX2010 be judged ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (under Criterion D) or designation as a State Antiquities Landmark. The standing structures at the site, however, are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A. Because of this, project-related impacts to the structures should be avoided, and a buffer zone of at least 30 meters (m) (100 ft) should be demarcated around the structures during project construction. By creating a buffer zone, no eligible cultural resources will be impacted, and it is recommended that the proposed project be allowed to proceed as planned. No artifacts requiring curation were collected during the survey

Archeological and Geomorphological Investigations at Prehistoric Sites 41WY50 and 41WY60, Willacy County, Texas

In January through March 1993, archeological and geomorphological investigations were conducted at two clay dune sites, 41WY50 and 41WY60, in the outfall area of the Hidalgo-Willacy Drainage Ditch system. This work represents the final investigations of a cultural resource management program conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the local sponsors, Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 and Willacy County Drainage District No. I, by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. The results of the archeological investigations were poor. Neither site yielded materials of unquestionable cultural origin, although several small basin-shaped hearth features were encountered. Based on radiocarbon assays from soil humates and the stratigraphic provenience of the features, it is speculated that the occupation(s) at 41WY50 is late Archaic and the occupation(s) at 41WY60 is Late Prehistoric to Historic. Both sites represent very short term occupations and most likely do not represent repetitive use on a seasonal or yearly basis. These investigations suggest that, since the development of the modem coastal environments approximately 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, the south Texas coast between Baffin Bay and the Holocene delta of the Rio Grande has been a resource-poor and inhospitable area that probably was utilized only sparsely or intermittently. The geomorphological investigations were more successful, adding valuable data ahout paleoenvironments and the formation of the modem coastal environments of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The clay dunes formed through the eolian transport of fine to very fine quartz sand and fine to very fine sand-sized aggregates of clay from adjacent wind-tidal flats during the late Holocene. Stable carbon isotope studies of soil humates suggest that the clay dune plant community was and still is dominated by C, and/or CAM plants. These investigations also disclosed fluctuations in sea level during the late Holocene. An abandoned wind-tidal flat, encountered at 41WY50, indicates that sea level was at least I m higher than present mean sea level between 2300-1100 B.P

Preliminary Cultural Resources Investigations for the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, Hidalgo County, Texas

Archeological, archival, and geomorphologic investigations were conducted for the proposed Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Project in Hidalgo County, Texas, by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. from October 12-27, 1992. The purposes of these investigations were to locate and record any cultural resources within the project area, determine their eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Archeological Landmarks, and to provide an overview of the Holocene geomorphic history of the project area. The geomorphic history of the project area suggests that the Rio Grande has experienced continuous channel aggradation from the end of the Pleistocene to ca. 1000 B.P. Climatic changes and diminishing sediment loads led to channel incision around 1000 B.P., forming a low late Holocene terrace and resulting in increased sinuosity and a decreased channel width-to-depth ratio. The investigations included a stratified sample survey of approximately 162 hectares (400 acres) and the excavation of 16 backhoe trenches and 14 shovel tests. A total of 10 sites, consisting of 10 historic and 2 prehistoric components, were documented. Six standing architectural properties, each consisting of a structure or groups of structures, also were documented. Four of the sites (41HG153, 41HG155, 41HG156, and 41HG158) are considered to be potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks. Two of the architectural properties - the Carmichael and Sorenson farmsteads - also may be eligible for listing on the National Register. The four potentially eligible sites consist of four historic and two prehistoric components. The historic components date from the Texas Republic period to the early twentieth century, representing the establishment and development of the EI Capote Ranch community. The two prehistoric components (41HG153 and 41HG158), of which only 41HG153 is potentially eligible, represent Late Prehistoric and unknown prehistoric components, respectively

Phase I Archaeological Survey Of The Proposed West Of The Pecos Solar Project, Reeves County, Texas

In November and December 2015, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted a Phase I archeological survey of the proposed 716-acre West of the Pecos Solar Project area in northern Reeves County, Texas. The survey resulted in the identification of six previously unrecorded archeological sites. The four Native American sites are an open campsite (41RV87) and three open campsites and lithic procurement localities (41RV89, 41RV90, and 41RV91) characterized by stone hearth remnants and sparse scatters of chipped stone and occasional ground or battered stone artifacts. No temporally diagnostic artifacts were identified at these sites. The two twentieth-century historic sites are a work camp or staging area and adjacent water control feature (41RV88) and a roadway with adjacent utility pole remnants (41RV92). All six sites have no potential to contain important information and are considered ineligible for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (13 TAC 26.2, 8). No diagnostic Native American artifacts were found, and the few diagnostic historic artifacts at 41RV88 were not collected, so the project resulted in no artifacts that will be curated. The records generated by the project are curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory of the University of Texas at Austin

Test Excavations at 41BL1214, Bell County, Texas: State Highway 95 Bridge Replacement at the Little River

In February and March 2004, Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), performed archeological test excavations at site 41BL1214 to determine its eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This investigation was conducted within the existing and proposed right of way of the State Highway 95 bridge project at the Little River in Bell County for the Texas Department of Transportation. The site is situated on a flood terrace on the south bank of the Little River. In all, 18 m3 were excavated during testing. Excavations yielded artifacts, features, and other cultural materials associated with Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric components. Although the site is stratified, there appears to be no ready way to isolate the Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric components from one another, and thus the site has a limited capacity to yield important information. Based on this, it is recommended that the portion of 41BL1214 within the confines of the project area be judged not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a State Archeological Landmark. All artifacts, cultural materials, and records collected and generated by this project are curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL), The University of Texas at Austin. Because the collected artifacts are from private property, they are curated in a non-held-in-trust status at TARL

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

Archeological Survey For The Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA) II Water Pipeline, Carson, Gray, Potter, And Roberts Counties, Texas

An archeological survey was conducted between March 8 and June 17, 2016, for the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA) II pipeline in Carson, Gray, Potter, and Roberts Counties, Texas. The proposed pipeline will transport water from wells located 27 km (17 miles) northeast of Pampa, Texas, to Amarillo, Texas. The total length of the pipeline, including a lateral line to the City of Pampa, is 108 km (68 miles). The pipeline will occupy a right of way that is 120 ft (36.6 m) wide, resulting in an Area of Potential Effects (APE) totaling 985 acres. The average depth of the proposed line will be between 4 and 6 ft (1.2–1.8 m). The pedestrian survey examined the full length and width of the APE only in areas with a moderate to high potential for archeological sites, consisting of playas and stream channels emptying into playas on the Southern High Plains surface and the Canadian Breaks environment. These settings account for about 47 km (29 miles) of the pipeline route and encompass about 430 acres. The remainder of the route, with a low potential for sites, was not examined by pedestrian survey. The survey recorded four archeological sites: 41CZ86, 41CZ87, 41CZ88, and 41PT514. Sites 41CZ87, 41CZ88, and 41PT514 are small prehistoric sites of unknown ages; 41CZ86 consists of a surface scatter of early-twentieth-century artifacts. All four sites lack the capacity to contribute important information and are considered ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Antiquities Landmarks because of the disturbed and surficial nature of the cultural deposits, the lack of buried intact cultural deposits, and the paucity of interpretable artifacts and features. It is recommended that the project be allowed to proceed without any additional archeological investigations

Cultural Resources Survey of the Leander Rehabilitation Center, Williamson County, Texas

In August-September 1996, personnel from Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted a cultural resources survey of ca. 725 acres of the former Leander Rehabilitation Center. The project area lies adjacent to U.S. Highway 183 and FM 620 in southern Williamson County, Texas. The survey resulted in additional documentation of one previously recorded prehistoric archeological site (41 WM452), the identification and recording of four historic archeological sites (41WM892, 41WM893, 41WM896, and 41WM897), and reconnaissance-level documentation of 45 historic buildings and structures. Site 41WM452 is an extensive upland lithic scatter and lithic procurement site which lacks subsurface deposits, features, and datable materials. Site 41WM892 is a wood-chopper camp that contains a number of rock alignments and limited artifact deposits dating to the first decade of the twentieth century. Site 41WM893 is a remnant of a railroad spur used during the 1937-1941 construction of Marshall Ford Dam (now Mansfield Dam). Site 41WM896 contains a small number of features and sparse artifact deposits associated with the 1937-1945 Rhodes farmstead. Site 41WM897 is an isolated historic well with unknown associations. None of these archeological sites contains important information, and it is recommended that they be considered not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as State Archeological Landmarks. The 45 buildings and structures, at 36 locations, are associated with the former State Dairy and Hog Farm. This farm was established in 1942, expanded after 1945, and reached its peak years of production as a hog farm between 1950 and the late 1960s, Created to serve the needs of the State Board of Control and the State Hospital, the facility is significant for its success in food production for eleemosynary institutions in Austin and throughout Texas, as well as for its role in the application of modern psychiatric treatment based on the therapeutic value of manual labor. Among the surveyed resources are dwellings, an office and warehouse building, a dormitory, a variety of agricultural buildings and structures, and infrastructural elements, all built between 1943 and 1955. Twenty-one of the 45 surveyed resources are recommended as being eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C as Contributing resources in a historic district and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks

The Prehistoric Components at the Rubin Hancock Farmstead, 41TV875, Travis County, Texas

From 1984 to 1987, a series of archeological projects was undertaken by the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (SDHPT, now the Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT) at site 41TV875 in Travis County, Texas. The work focused on the historic component, representing the late-nineteenth- to early twentieth-century farmstead of the African American Rubin Hancock family, but many prehistoric artifacts were recovered as well. In 1998, TxDOT contracted with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., to complete the analysis, report production, and curation requirements for the mitigation work on both the prehistoric and historic components.This volume discusses the prehistoric component. Study of the prehistoric materials had five primary goals. The first was to produce an inventory of the artifacts. The second was to conduct a typological analysis of the projectile points to gain an understanding of the chronology of the site. The third was to couple the chronological information with an examination of the horizontal and vertical distributions of the cultural materials to determine whether components can be isolated. The fourth was to identify those parts of the collection that have the potential to yield important information and hence warrant curation. And the fifth was to analyze the materials from a concentration of lithic debitage to determine if they represent a cache. Analysis revealed that the site was occupied sporadically beginning at the late end of the Paleoindian period and continuing into the early part of the Late Prehistoric period. Most of the deposits were mixed, but it appears that a reasonably discrete early component may have been present in one part of the site. These early materials have the greatest interpretive potential. Analysis of the materials in the lithic debitage concentration indicates that they are not particularly homogeneous but, instead, they consist of a wide range of flake types and sizes representing various reduction strategies and stages. There is little evidence that the materials were being prepared for further tool manufacture. This concentration can be interpreted best as a discard pile