Historic Overview and Archival Archaeological Investigations for the San Antonio River Improvements Project: Houston to Lexington Segment

In April 1999, the Centre for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) provided archival research and assessment of the Houston Street to Lexington Avenue portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project. This undertaking enabled archival research to precede the initiation of the San Antonio River Improvements Project in order to identify areas of potentially significant cultural resources within the project area. In this capacity, CAR served as consultants to PBS&J, Engineering and Environmental Consulting for their client, the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), on the San Antonio River Improvements Project (Houston Street to Lexington Avenue) Environmental/Historical Services. The scope of the archaeological research and assessment was performed under Texas Historical Commission Permit Number 2181. The process included a thorough search of archival records documenting historic land use and ownership, documentation and assessments of the presence and location of historic structures and/or cultural deposits. The archival portion includes the integration of archaeological information with engineering and architectural plans to identify areas of potentially significant, intact, cultural resources within the project area and report on same. Two historic sites were identified and recorded during site inspection visits. One site, recorded as 41BX1369, is the historic location of the ca. 1866 Laux Mill and Dam currently incorporated within the Hugman water feature, just north of Travis Street. The second site, recorded as 41BX1370, is an artifact deposit in the pilot channel beneath the Travis Street Bridge, thought to be associated with the 1842 Jaques home. Recommendations for avoidance or monitoring of improvements in these specific areas, in addition to recommendations for monitoring all other subsurface disturbances, were made