Archaeological Monitoring of the Urban Reach Section of the San Antonio River Improvement Project:Archaeological Monitoring of the Urban Reach Section of the San Antonio River Improvement Project

Between May of 2007 and February of 2009, archaeologists monitored the removal of soil from the banks of the San Antonio River in preparation for the Riverwalk expansion between the Lexington Avenue Dam to Josephine Street Bridge. The project was part of the Museum “Urban” Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project. The Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by Ford, Powell and Carson Architects & Planners, Inc. This work was complete under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 5377, issued by the Texas Historical Commission. Several features were uncovered during the excavations. Two new sites were recorded. Site 41BX1817 is the Alamo Mills Dam located just north of the VFW Post #76. Site 41BX1818 is the Lexington Avenue Dam. A series of features were located on the west bank of the San Antonio River in the vicinity of the Lone Star Brewery (present day San Antonio Museum of Art), with remnants of these features likely still located within the river bank. Other features identified during the monitoring were documented and removed. A small number of artifacts were collected and are curated at the CAR facility