Archeological Impact Evaluations and Surveys in the Texas Department of Transportation's Bryan, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Yoakum Districts, 2000-2001

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—Bryan, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Yoakum— in east-central and south-central Texas. 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 8 February 2000 and concluded on 8 February 2002. During these two years, 46 work orders were completed. The 46 work orders consisted of 71 Impact Evaluations, 20 Surveys, 5 Surveys with Geoarcheological Evaluations, and 1 work order to produce this report. Combined, these work orders entailed efforts at 58 bridge replacements, 16 projects involving primarily road widening or realignment, and 1 project consisting of creation of a wetland mitigation area. During completion of these work orders, five newly discovered or previously recorded archeological sites were investigated. Fifteen of the Impact Evaluations led to a recommendation that an archeological survey be completed before construction. The remaining 56 Impact Evaluations resulted in a recommendation that no survey be required based on the extent of disturbance and the limited potential for sites with good integrity. Three of the Surveys investigated sites that were recommended for testing to assess eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Archeological Landmarks. The other 22 Surveys either did not find any archeological sites or investigated sites that could be assessed as ineligible for National Register listing and State Archeological Landmark designation using the survey data.