Article Title

Intensive Archeological Survey of four Alternate Locations for a Proposed Veterans' Administration Facility in the City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas

Authors

Eloise Frances Gadus, Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc.
Melissa M. Green, Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc.

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

The General Services !dministration (GS!) proposes to build a Veterans’ !dministration facility in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas. Four locations in southwest Corpus Christi have been proposed for the facility. Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc (CMEC) subjected all four locations to archeological examination to assist the GSA in making a final selection of one location for acquisition and construction of the proposed facility. The four locations were identified as the Johnson site (13.4 acres) at the corner of Old Brownsville Road/Farm-to-Market (FM) 665 and Cliff Maus Drive, the JTW site (12 acres) at the northeast corner of Old Brownsville Road and Cliff Maus Drive, the Molasky site (11 acres) at 5102 Old Brownsville Road, and the USFP site (6.19 acres) at West Point Road and South Padre Island Drive/State Highway (SH) 358. The archeological area of potential effect (APE) includes all four parcels and has an acreage of 42.59 acres.

The project is funded entirely by the GSA and, therefore, the project is subject to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended (Public Law 89-665; 54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq) and requirements of 36 CFR Part 800.

In May 2020, CMEC was contracted through Quaternary Resource Investigations, LLC to conduct archeological investigations at the four locations. Field methods complied with the requirements of the guidelines as set forth by the Council of Texas Archeologists and approved by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Pedestrian survey with transects spaced 30 m apart and augmented with judgmental shovel tests was conducted. Ground surface visibility on all these sites was good at 80 to 90 percent as the fields were in young cotton plants with rows spaced 2.5 to 3 feet across. A total of 31 shovel tests (7 to 8 tests per site) were excavated within the 42.59-acre APE, exceeding the 1 shovel test per 2 acres required by the THC.

As the project is subject to Section 106 of the NHPA, as amended, the APE was assessed for direct and indirect impacts to archeological resources. No archeological sites, deposits, features, or artifacts were recorded during the survey. No further work on any of the parcels is recommended prior to construction. However, if unanticipated buried cultural materials or features with archeological data potential are encountered during site clearing, construction, or other activities that disturb the ground surface, work would cease in the immediate area and the GSA Regional Historic Preservation Officer and staff from the THC’s !rcheological Division should be contacted immediately.

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