Archaeological Investigations for the Lockwood and Dignowity Parks Improvements Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Abstract

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from the City of San Antonio (COSA), conducted an archaeological survey for the Lockwood and Dignowity Parks Improvements Project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The work was completed in January 2019, and it consisted of shovel testing and backhoe trenching within the 3.4-hectare (8.5-acre) Area of Potential Effect (APE). The Lockwood and Dignowity parks are owned by the COSA and lie within the locally designated Dignowity Hill Historic District; therefore, the project falls under the COSA Unified Development Code. The project also falls under the Texas Antiquities Code, and the archaeological investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 8710. Paul Shawn Marceaux, CAR Director, served as the Principal Investigator, with José Zapata serving as the Project Archaeologist. The archaeological investigation resulted in the location and recording of three new sites. Site 41BX2294 is an elongated multi-component site that began at the southeast corner of Lockwood Park and extended into the northeast quadrant of Dignowity Park. Site 41BX2295 is a historic site located at the northwest corner of Lockwood Park. CAR proposes that neither site is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nor for listing as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). The two sites have been significantly impacted by previous construction that affected their integrity, and neither contained features (e.g., a midden) or artifact assemblages that would increase the knowledge of the prehistory or history of Texas. Excavation of a backhoe trench located site 41BX2296, a Civil War-era feature at the southeast corner of Lockwood Park. Research suggests this is the only Civil War-era feature recorded in San Antonio, and CAR recommends 41BX2296 is eligible for inclusion to the NRHP under Criterion D (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 60.4), as the site may yield important historic information. The CAR also recommends 41BX2296 merits SAL status because the site can contribute to the knowledge of the Civil War Period in Texas. The park development plans include the installation of a linear arrangement of porch swings along the southeast quadrant of Lockwood Park. Site preparation for these swings will likely impact the Civil War-era fortification; therefore, CAR recommends avoiding impacts to this site. Other impacts include the installation of a sewer line at the north end of Dignowity Park, and CAR recommends monitoring in this area. In addition, Burnett Street currently separates the Lockwood and Dignowity parks, but this street segment will be razed in order to landscape and merge the two parks.