Article Title

Intensive Archeological Survey Of The Kegley Road Improvements City Of Temple, Bell County, Texas

Authors

Caitlin Gulihur
Ann M. Scott
David Yelacic

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

The City of Temple has proposed the Kegley Road Improvements project where approximately 11,985 linear feet of Kegley Road, from Charter Oak Drive to Adams Avenue, will be expanded in southwest Temple, Bell County, Texas. The project engineer, Kasberg Patrick and Associates, LP, retained Terracon Consultants, Inc. to conduct a systematic, intensive pedestrian survey of the approximately 55-acre project area. Because the City of Temple, a political subdivision of the State of Texas, sponsored the project, the proposed undertaking is subject to compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas and oversight from the Texas Historical Commission. In addition, the survey meets the standards for compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, should a US Army Corps of Engineers permit be necessary or federal funding be utilized for the project. The cultural resources survey was carried out in advance of ground disturbance under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 7963, issued to Ann M. Scott, PhD, RPA, Principal Investigator. Fieldwork was carried out by Dr. Scott, with assistance from Project Geoarcheologist David Yelacic, MS and Project Archeologist Caitlin Gulihur, MA . Records from the project will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University.

The 11,985-linear-foot by 200-foot-wide alignment (55 acres) was considered the Area of Potential Effect (APE). Survey of the APE consisted of systematic pedestrian coverage, including discretionary shovel tests, as well as trenching to examine deeply buried soils. The work was carried out of April 13-14, 20, 2017. Several hundred linear feet of the alignment were recently plowed fields with 100 percent visibility. Several more hundred linear feet were heavily disturbed by utilities, a golf course, and the existing Kegley Road. Nine shovel tests were excavated in areas that had less than 30 percent ground visibility or placed in areas previously undisturbed. Two backhoe trenches were excavated. No artifacts were discovered during the excavation of the shovel tests or backhoe trenches. One isolated artifact, a historic ceramic sherd, and one isolated feature, a historic pit, were observed during this survey. No sites were recorded or revisited as a result of the survey. Therefore, there are no historic properties present within the alignment. It is Terracon’s recommendation that there are no historic properties eligible for State Antiquities Landmark designation or National Register for Historic Places inclusion that will be affected by future construction of the Kegley Road expansion. Given the absence of historic properties within the APE, it is Terracon’s recommendation that the proposed project be allowed to proceed as currently designed. In the unlikely event that human remains or intact cultural deposits are discovered during construction, those activities should cease in the vicinity of the remains and Terracon, the Texas Historical Commission’s Archeology Division, or other proper authorities should be contacted.

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