Article Title

Archaeological Monitoring Of AT&T Buried Cable Installation Along Hickman Street, North Flores Street, and Krempkau, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Authors

Antonio E. Padilla
Kristi Borzea

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

In June 2017, AT&T (CLIENT) contracted Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) to conduct archaeological monitoring of construction activities associated with the installation of new fiber optic lines along Hickman Street, Flores Street, and Kempkau. Archaeological monitoring of the proposed project was requested by the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) due to the projected alignment of the Azalán Acequia and proximity to San Pedro Springs Park. The project is located in central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and occured on lands owned or controlled by the City of San Antonio, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the proposed undertaking is subject to review under the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). All work was performed in compliance with the ACT under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit Number 8051.

The project is located within a residential development and consisted of the monitoring of 11 locations: five located along Hickman Street, five located along the east side of North Flores Street, and one located along Kempkau. The undertaking involved the excavation of 10 bore pits and one trench. Size of the excavations varied from 1.5 to 10 feet in length and 1.5 feet in width. Depths of the excavations ranged from 2 to 4.25 feet. For archaeological purposes, the direct Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the project were the locations where the components were excavated.

During the investigations, a majority of the APE showed evidence of disturbance. Disturbances included the installation of existing utilities, sidewalk and driveway construction, road construction and maintenance, and tree planting. No prehistoric or historic cultural materials were observed, nor were any remnants of the Azalán Acequia identified.

Based on archaeological monitoring, RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations within the areas monitored. However, should additional work occur near the alignment of Azalán Acequia or within the vicinity of San Pedro Springs Park, further archaeological work may be required. All field records and photographs produced during field investigations were curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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