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Texas Historical Commission
Abstract
Archaeological test excavations were performed by a crew from the Bryan District under the direction of John W. Clark, Jr., assisted by William Weaver, at the historical archaeological site 41 BZ89 on the 12th of October 1992 and on the 10th of March, 1993. The excavations revealed a highly predictable horizontal distribution of artifacts over the site conforming to the Brunswick artifact pattern (South 1977: 47-80). They indicate an occupation apparently beginning in the late 1880s and extending into the 1950s (the 1950s occupation may represent reuse by hunters or a campsite for stock handlers). There could be a mid 19th century occupation west of the house ruin since ceramic shards from that period were found there, but no features or any other indicators from that period were found. At least two building phases are evident in the structures. The house was built in an unusual method using the plank frame technique first developed in New England in the 1830s and found rarely in other localities at later dates. However, various lines of evidence indicate that this structure was constructed in the late 1880s. Preliminary archival investigations suggest that the property was occupied by a family named Foster at the time of the construction of the residence. Ceramic shards excavated from the test units and three observed on the surface of the site west of the residence probably date to the mid- nineteenth century. Although further archival research would provide additional information, the site itself, due to the nature of the deposits and the ruin state of the structures within the right-of-way, does not meet the criteria of eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and does not warrant designation as a State Archaeological Landmark.
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