Article Title

A Cultural Resources Investigation of the W. L. Jenkins Park Phase 3 Improvements, Harris County, Texas

Authors

Douglas Mangum
John Randal Ferguson
Eleanor Stoddart

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

In November of 2016, Moore Archeological Consulting, Inc., conducted an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of a tract of land in eastern Harris County, Texas. The project involves a proposed expansion and improvements to an existing park facility in far east Harris County, Texas, which covers a total area of roughly 70 acres. The project area is bounded to the south by Highway 225, to the east by Cary Bayou, to the west by a railroad line and Cary Cedar Bayou Road.

The project will involve improvements to the existing W. L. Jenkins Park including construction of trails, backstops, a restroom, a splash pad, picnic facilities, a playground, and some parking alterations. Some of the anticipated impacts within the project area may be deeper than one (1) meter, though design of the facility has not yet reached the stage where specifics of impacts could be known with certainty. However, most of the impacts will be less than one meter. The proposed project area can be found on the Mont Belvieu (299409) USGS topographical map.

The objectives of the investigation were to locate and identify cultural materials, sites, or historic properties within the proposed impact area, and to prepare management recommendations regarding any identified resources. The investigation was conducted for The City of Baytown Parks and Recreation Department, under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 7829. The field investigations were conducted by project archeologist Randy Ferguson, and field technician Tom Nuckols, Catherine Jalbert, and Stephanie Orsini under the supervision of the project’s principal investigator, Douglas Mangum.

An intensive pedestrian field survey of the project area was conducted, resulting in 97 shovel tests being excavated. Three new historic sites were recorded (two homestead remnants [41HR1191 and 41HR1192], and a dump [41HR1198]), and two other artifact bearing localities were examined. The historic homestead sites are likely associated with the occupation and use of the tract by the Jenkins family who lend their name to the park. Both sites appear to have been razed in the 1970s based on aerial imagery, the overall paucity of artifacts, and the disturbed nature of the soils in the positive and surrounding negative shovel tests. The dump site appears to have been used both as a trash dump during occupation and as a place to dump debris from the razing of the homesteads. None of the sites appear to possess integrity or potential for future study and as a result, no further archeological work is recommended. The other two localities proved, after additional examination, to be historic debris either resulting from normal park usage or possibly the dumping of debris from the demolition of the historic homesteads in the 1970s.

Artifacts (a total of three were collected) and paper records will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In the event that archeological deposits or features should be encountered during construction, work should cease in the immediate vicinity and the Archeology Division of the Texas Historical Commission contacted for further consultation.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License