Article Title

Archaeological Monitoring Of Fiber Optic Line Installation within San Pedro Springs Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Authors

Antonio E. Padilla
Kristi Borzea

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

In July 2017, NX Utilities (CLIENT), on behalf of AT&T, contracted Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) to conduct archaeological monitoring of activities associated with the installation of new fiber optic lines within San Pedro Springs Park. Archaeological monitoring of the proposed project was requested by the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) due to the location of the project within a previously recorded archaeological site (41BX19) which is listed as a State Antiquities Landmark and is designated as the San Pedro Springs Park National Register of Historic Places District. The project is located in central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and occurred 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) and the Historic Preservation and Design Section of the City of San Antonio’s Unified Development Code (Article VI 35- 360 to 35-364). All work was performed in compliance with the ACT under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit Number 8123.

The project is located within a public park and consisted of the monitoring of five locations. The undertaking involved the excavation of a handhole and four bore pits. Size of the excavations varied from 1 to 5 feet in length and 1 to 4 feet in width. Depths of the excavations ranged from 2 to 3 feet below surface. 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 park development, existing utilities, walkways, and landscaping. Monitoring of the excavations revealed that the upper 1 to 1.5 feet of the excavations were disturbed, in some cases disturbances reached the terminating depths of the excavations. One fragment of aqua glass and a chert flake were encountered at a depth of 2 feet below surface within BP 1. The cultural materials were encountered within a disturbed context and deemed non-significant.

Based on the archaeological services provided, investigations, RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations within the areas monitored. However, should additional ground disturbing activities occur within San Pedro Springs Park, further work may be required. All field records and photographs produced during investigations are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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