Archaeological Monitoring of Drainage Pipe Trenching in the Vicinity of the San Pedro Playhouse, San Pedro Springs Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Abstract

Over the course of seven days in January 2013, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological monitoring of mechanical excavations along the north facing wall of the San Pedro Park Playhouse. The excavations were conducted to install a moisture barrier adjacent to the base of a portion of the north wall of the Playhouse and to install a new drainage system to direct rainwater away from the vicinity of the wall. San Pedro Park (41BX19) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and contains significant prehistoric and historic archaeological deposits. The project was conducted under the Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 6359 issued to Dr. Steve A. Tomka, who served as Principal Investigator and co-Project Archaeologist, and Alexandria Wadley, who served as the co-Project Archaeologist. Three trenches were excavated by TCL Construction for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department to allow the waterproofing of the base of the wall and installation of the drainage pipes. The monitoring of these excavations showed that the majority of the Area of Potential Effect (APE) has been impacted and disturbed by previous renovations. Cultural materials were encountered in two of the three trenches, but they derived from mixed depositional contexts. It is recommended that archaeological investigations associated with any future impacts within the boundaries of the park be conducted in accordance with existing plans for managing the cultural resource of the property (Meissner 2000).