Test Excavations at 41HE257, Henderson County, Texas

Abstract

Personnel from Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted test excavations at 41HE257, a prehistoric site located in central Henderson County. This work was conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division, since part of the site is within the right of way for the southern expansion of FM 317, the Athens Loop. The work was done under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3070 and all materials collected and records generated are curated at the Texas Archeological Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin. The excavations showed that the site is shallow and contains few lithics or ceramic artifacts, limited botanical remains, no faunal remains, and only one possible rock feature. One radiocarbon assay indicates the presence of an early Late Prehistoric component. However, that component could be mixed with earlier and later materials, and definition of discrete components is not possible. As such, the site has little capacity to yield important information and is considered ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a State Archeological Landmark.