Archaeological Reports
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/561
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Browsing Archaeological Reports by Subject "acequias"
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Item Archaeological Investigations of Sections of the San Pedro (41BX337) and Upper Labor (41BX1273) Acequias in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas(Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2020-05) Wigley, SarahOn January 21 and February 19 of 2020, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) excavated five exploratory backhoe trenches within two project areas in central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. Project Area 1 is located at 209 E. Fredericksburg Road, and Project Area 2 is at 712 W. Laurel Street. CAR was contracted by the VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority (VIAMTA) to conduct an archaeological investigation of the two locations as they planned to use the areas for employee parking lots. Plans called for the areas to be excavated to a total depth of 25.4 cm (10 in.), with 15.24 cm (6 in.) of new concrete and 10.16 cm (4 in.) of new base. Archival maps suggested that the proposed parking areas could include the intersection of two Spanish Colonial acequias, the San Pedro (41BX337) and the Upper Labor (41BX1273). Both areas are owned by VIA-MTA, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the work was carried out under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9229 according to the requirements of the Texas Antiquities Code and the Unified Development Code of the City of San Antonio (COSA). Dr. Raymond Mauldin served as the Principal Investigator, and Sarah Wigley served as the Project Archaeologist. Five backhoe trenches were excavated in the two project areas. Three trenches were excavated in Project Area 1 and encompassed 0.024 ha (0.06 ac.). Two trenches were excavated within Project Area 2 and encompassed 0.089 ha (0.22 ac.). Four features were documented. Feature 1 was identified as a section of the Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273), and Feature 3 was identified as a section of the San Pedro Acequia (41BX337). Feature 2 was a late construction dump and was found not to be significant. Feature 4 was documented within the channel of Feature 3 and is also part of 41BX337. The San Pedro Acequia (41BX337) has previously been found to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and is also eligible for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). The Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273) has been previously recommended as eligible for the NRHP and for designation as a SAL. The acequia is also a contributing resource to Brackenridge Park's NRHP nomination (National Park Service 2011). Both sites are a part of the San Antonio's acequia system, which is a designated National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. CAR recommends that the section of the San Pedro Acequia (41BX337) and the section of the Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273) documented during the course of this project are eligible for inclusion to the NRHP and for designation as a SAL. However, neither of these sites should be impacted by the proposed parking lot construction that has a maximum depth of impact of 25.4 cm (10 in.), which is a depth above the features. As such, CAR recommends that the construction of both parking areas be allowed to proceed, though with an archaeological monitor present. CAR further recommends that should buried cultural features be encountered during construction work in the immediate area cease and that the Texas Historic Commission (THC) and the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) be notified to consult on additional actions that may be necessary to protect the cultural remains. Both the THC and COSA-OHP concurred with the recommendations. However, prior to the issuance of the concurrence documents from the THC, VIA-MTA paved Project Area 2 (712 W. Laurel Street) without notifying CAR. No monitor was present for the excavation or paving. CAR subsequently photographed the area. In addition, VIA-MTA no longer plans to do any work in Project Area 1. No artifacts were collected from Project Area 1, but several historic artifacts were collected from Project Area 2. These artifacts along with all records generated on this project are curated at the CAR facility as accession 2259.Item Archaeological Monitoring of South Alamo Street Improvements, Pereida Street to César Chávez Boulevard, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas(Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2019-09) Wigley, SarahFrom October 31, 2018, through February 13, 2019, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted archaeological monitoring for the South Alamo Street Improvements Project located in downtown San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The excavation of 20 boreholes and more than 772 meters of trench were monitored. The work was performed for the City of San Antonio (COSA) to fulfill the requirements of the COSA's Unified Development Code and the Antiquities Code of Texas. The project was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 8563. Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux, CAR Director, served as the Principal Investigator, and Sarah Wigley served as the Project Archaeologist. The project area is located on COSA property along South Alamo Street between César Chávez Boulevard and Pereida Street in central San Antonio. The monitoring consisted of trenching for the installation of an electrical conduit and the excavation of boreholes for new light poles located on either side of South Alamo Street between Turner Street and Pereida Street. The project area runs directly through the two national Historic Districts, the Lavaca Neighborhood Historic District and the South Alamo Street-South St. Mary's Street Historic District, and it is included in the two local Historic Districts (the Lavaca Neighborhood and King William Historic District). These Historic Districts are known to contain significant historic sites, including the Acequia Madre de Valero (41BX8) and the Concepción Acequia (41BX1887; COSA Office of Historic Preservation 2019a). During the monitoring, part of an intact wall of the Acequia Madre de Valero (41BX8) was uncovered near the intersection of Beauregard Street on the west side of South Alamo Street, although documentation of the feature was limited to the extent of the utility trench. In addition to the acequia wall section, five other architectural features, some potentially Spanish Colonial in nature, were documented, and four new sites designated 41BX2286, 41BX2287, 41BX2288, and 41BX2289 were recorded. A small number of temporally diagnostic historic artifacts were collected during the course of the project. The CAR recommends that the section of 41BX8 (Acequia Madre de Valero) documented during the course of this project is eligible for inclusion to the National Register of Historical Places (NRHP) and designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL), and all impacts should be avoided. Site 41BX8 has previously been determined to be eligible for inclusion on the NRHP, and it is designated as a Historic American Engineering Record and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (THC 2019). The portion of the site that was encountered during monitoring remains intact. It was covered with a protective layer of sand before backfilling. Site 41BX2286, a portion of a historic limestone and mortar wall, should also be avoided until its significance can be more clearly defined. Currently, the CAR cannot determine this site's potential eligibility for inclusion to the NRHP or listing as a SAL due to the limited nature of the investigation. The portion of the site documented during monitoring remains intact. It was covered with a protective layer of sand before backfilling. The CAR recommends that sites 41BX2287, 41BX2288, and 41BX2289 are not significant. The portions of these sites documented during monitoring remain intact and were covered with a protective layer of sand before backfilling. These three sites are not recommended as eligible for inclusion to the NRHP or for designation as SAL. All artifacts collected during the course of this project are curated at the CAR. All forms, documents, and photographs complied during the project and a copy of this report are archived in Project Accession file 2180 at the CAR.