Archaeological Monitoring of Subsurface Electrical Lines at Fort McKavett State Historic Site (41MN2), Menard County, Texas

Abstract

On February 7 and 8, 2011, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio, was contracted by the Texas Historical Commission under permit number 5873 to conduct archaeological monitoring of mechanical excavations of two trenches intended to house electrical lines at Fort McKavett State Historic Site. The Fort McKavett State Historic Site is located at the intersection of FR 864 and 1674, twenty-two miles southwest of the City of Menard, situated in southwestern Menard County, Texas. During the course of the project, the Area of Potential Effect (APE) was surveyed prior to excavation. Given the occupation history of Fort McKavett, the project area had the potential to produce significant cultural deposits and features. The mechanical excavation of the trenches was photo documented and the back-dirt inspected. A small number of temporally diagnostic artifacts were collected. No significant historic features were documented or impacted. As a result, the CAR does not recommend that further investigations be conducted in the area of potential effect. However, the CAR does recommend long-term monitoring of future improvement-related activities to continue at the site.