Archaeological investigations at the Landa Park Golf Course Pro Shop, New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas

In December 1996, the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the city of New Braunfels to conduct testing and monitoring to determine the impact of planned renovation on the cultural resources on the Landa Park Golf Course. The planned renovation called for extensive modifications and additions to the existing Pro Shop constructed by the WPA in the 1930s. Modifications and additions included subsurface excavations required for additional foundation footings and utility lines. Shovel testing was performed within the footprint of the proposed addition and utility trenching was monitored. Evaluation of the shovel test results called for the further excavation of a 1-x-1-m unit by CAR archaeologists. Testing and monitoring uncovered various prehistoric and historic artifacts, including chert flakes, cores, bifaces, two projectile points (one Angostura point and another of unknown type), mussel shell, and fire-cracked rock. Historic artifacts included glass (colored and clear), one coin, aluminum pull tabs, nails, machine screws, metal fragments, one bottle cap, Bakelite fragments, and one condom wrapper. The results of the testing and monitoring confirmed the findings of previous investigations on and adjacent to the Landa Park Golf Course which concluded that a long history of human occupation-starting from the Late Paleoindian period, through the Archaic, and into the Historic-occurred along the first terrace (T1) of the upper Comal River. However, this investigation also concluded that previous construction and landscaping, as well as erosion of the T1 by the Comal River, had significantly impacted the cultural remains within the project area.