Archeological Impact Evaluations and Surveys in the Texas Department of Transportation's Abilene, Brownwood, Fort Worth, and Waco Districts, 2003-2006

Abstract

This document constitutes the final report of work done by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), under a contract from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide archeological services in four TxDOT districts—Abilene, Brownwood, Fort Worth, and Waco. Under this contract, PAI completed Impact Evaluations and Surveys to assist TxDOT in meeting the requirements of their Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Historical Commission and a Programmatic Agreement between the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Historical Commission, and TxDOT. The contract began on 26 September 2003. A total of 77 projects were conducted. The 77 projects consisted of 25 Impact Evaluations and 52 Surveys. Combined, these entailed efforts at 52 bridge replacements, 14 road realignment or widening projects (many also involving bridge replacements), 1 new road construction project, 1 hike-and-bike trail construction project, 5 projects involving upgrading or replacing existing culverts, 1 project involving construction of drainage improvements, 2 unspecified road maintenance or improvement projects, and 1 project involving replacement of an interstate highway interchange. Of the 25 Impact Evaluations done, 8 led to recommendations that survey could be needed before construction. In 4 cases, the need for survey depended on whether new right of way would be acquired, which was unknown when the Impact Evaluations were done. The other 17 Impact Evaluations resulted in recommendations that no survey be required before construction based on the limited potential for sites with good integrity. Of the 52 Surveys done under this contract, 9 investigated six newly recorded and four previously recorded sites; eight of the sites are prehistoric, and two are of historic age. Four prehistoric sites were recommended for testing to assess eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Archeological Landmarks, and one historic site was recommended for archival and oral history research. The other 43 Surveys did not find any archeological sites. All artifacts collected and records generated by projects done under this contract are curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL), The University of Texas at Austin. Artifacts were collected from five sites (41BQ285, 41CV1636, 41HM53, 41LT307, and 41SV4). Those from 41HM53 and 41SV4 are from State-owned lands and thus are curated in a held-in-trust status at TARL. The artifacts from 41BQ285, 41CV1636, and 41LT307 are from private lands and are curated in a non-held-in-trust status.