The Calf Creek Horizon: A Mid-Holocene Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation in the Central and Southern Plains Houston Archeological Society 2022-05-20 | Houston Archeological Society Meeting, Thursday, May 19th, 2022Dr. Jon C. Lohse"The Calf Creek Horizon: A Mid-Holocene Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation in the Central and Southern Plains of North America”The Thursday, May 19th meeting of the Houston Archeological Society features a presentation by professional archeologist Dr. Jon Lohse on the Calf Creek cultural horizon. Often characterized by distinctive chipped-stone technology, the Calf Creek cultural horizon made its first appearance in the central and southern plains of North America some six thousand years ago. Distributed over a known area of more than 500,000 square miles, it is one of the largest post-Paleoindian archaeological cultural complexes in North America.One of the most notable aspects of Calf Creek culture is its distinctive, deeply notched bifaces, many of which show evidence of heat-treating. Recent targeted dating suggests that these unique traits, which required exacting knapping and other techniques for production, arose in a relatively narrow window, sometime around 5,950–5,700 calendar years before the present. Given the wide geographical distribution of Calf Creek artifacts, however, researchers surmise that these technological innovations, once adopted, spread fairly quickly throughout the associated cultural groups.This talk presents some of the highlights and recent lessons from work on the Calf Creek Horizon. The recently published volume (TAMU Press) The Calf Creek Horizon brings together for the first time in a single source fine details of geographic distribution, regional variability, typology, and technological aspects of Calf Creek material culture. This first-ever “big picture” view will inform and direct related research for years to come.Dr. Jon C. Lohse is a Senior Associate with Terracon Consultants, Inc. where he manages a team of natural and cultural resources experts and consultants. He is the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Gault School for Archaeological Research, and an affiliated researcher in the Anthropology Department at Rice University. He has been a professional practicing archaeologist for what feels like a very long time; he received his MA (1994) and PhD (2001) from UT Austin. He’s a native Houstonian and seventh generation Texan. He lives about a quarter of a mile from the HAS meeting hall with his wife, archaeologist Dr. Molly Morgan Lohse, their two children, and his mother, former HAS member Margie Elliott. His latest publication is the edited volume titled “The Calf Creek Horizon: A Mid-Holocene Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation in the Central and Southern Plains of North America” (Texas A&M University Press, 2021).
HAS October 2024: Fingerprinting and Sourcing of Copper in Texas - Dr. Gus Costa Houston Archeological Society 2024-09-30 | ...
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HAS April 2024 Meeting: Nicholas Bourgeois - Disturbed Archeological Sites Houston Archeological Society 2024-04-21 | ...
HAS Monthly Meeting March 2024 - Dave Dyer - The Road to San Jacinto Houston Archeological Society 2024-03-20 | ...
HAS Monthly Meeting February 15th, 2024 - Dr. Heather Para - Archeology on Santorini Houston Archeological Society 2024-02-22 | ...
HAS Monthly Meeting January 2024 - Dr. Alan Slade Houston Archeological Society 2024-01-19 | Fluted Folsom Point Survey
HAS November 2023 Monthly Meeting: 41KR754 Excavations Houston Archeological Society 2023-11-17 | ...
HAS October 2023 Monthly Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2023-10-25 | “Flies, numerous and troublesome . . .” The Archeology of First World War Camp Logan - Michael Quennoz
HAS September 2023 Monthly Meeting - New Work in Old Collections - Jamie A. Ross Houston Archeological Society 2023-09-26 | ...
HAS August 2023 Monthly Meeting - 41VT141 - The McNeill Ranch Site - Dr. Heather Para Houston Archeological Society 2023-09-26 | ...
Featuring speaker Alan Slade, from the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory Houston Archeological Society 2023-06-07 | May 18, 2023 Monthly Meeting of the Houston Archeological Society, Featuring speaker Alan Slade, from the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, "The Texas Clovis Fluted Point Surveys, Parts 1 and 2"
April HAS Meeting - Dr. Gregg Dimmick Houston Archeological Society 2023-04-21 | Dr. Gregg Dimmick, a Wharton-based pediatrician and author, will be speaking on Archeology of San Jacinto, to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Dimmick holds a passion for archeology and one focus of his research has been the Mexican Army's presence in Texas during the Texas Revolution. He has been involved with the Houston Archeological Society, the Texas State Historical Association, the Wharton County Museum, and the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy. Dimmick's highly acclaimed and award-winning book, Sea of Mud, focuses on the retreating Mexican Army following the Battle of San Jacinto. Dimmick has participated in archeological excavations across Texas at many of the campsites of the Texan and Mexican armies including Sea of Mud (El Mar de Lodo), Fannin Battleground, and San Jacinto Battleground.
February 2023 HAS Meeting - Dr. Tom Middlebrook Houston Archeological Society 2023-02-17 | Tom Middlebrook, M.D., will be speaking on the original Mission Concepción and the upcoming TAS 2023 Field School in Nacogdoches. Middlebrook developed an interest in Native American archeology during his elementary school years and first participated in the Lake Nacogdoches excavations in 1975. Since then, he has aided and directed numerous survey and excavation projects that revealed new information about prehistoric and historic occupations in northeast Texas. He has organized and attended archeological and historical conferences where he presented his research. Middlebrook has also helped finance archeological investigations and special studies. He has frequently provided consultation to professional archeologists working on area projects. His commitment to archeology has earned him multiple elected office positions with the Texas Archeological Society and in 2005 he was named a TAS Fellow, the organization’s highest honor, for his many contributions to Texas archeology.
January 2023 HAS Meeting - Dr. Heather Para Houston Archeological Society 2023-01-20 | Heather Para, Ph.D., Exhibits and Collections Manager for the Museum of the Coastal Bend at Victoria College, will speak about the ongoing work at Lindisfarne, an Anglo-Saxon and Viking site in Britain.
Archeological Activities at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Sites Houston Archeological Society 2022-11-18 | Join Eleanor Stoddart, Cultural Resources Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Region 4, as she reports on archeological activities at TPWD sites.
Texas Archeology Month Program - Kreische Brewery Houston Archeological Society 2022-10-14 | Texas Archeology Month Program - Octoberfest in LaGrange: An Archeological History of the Kreische Brewery. Presented by Gavin Miculka, Assistant Site Manager of the Kreische Brewery and Monument State Historic Sites
Lost in Time: Samuel May Williams and the Garden Lots of San Felipe de Austin, by Kathleen Kelly Houston Archeological Society 2022-09-16 | Lost in Time: Samuel May Williams and the Garden Lots of San Felipe de Austin: the story of the importance of Samuel May Williams and his garden lot as told through receipts, artifacts and archeological research. Presented by Kathleen Kelly.
San Felipe de Austin Houston Archeological Society 2022-08-19 | Join Dr. Sarah Chesney as we hear about Stephen F. Austin's headquarters for his colony in Mexican Tejas, established in 1823.
2022 TAS Field School Report Houston Archeological Society 2022-07-22 | Join us for highlights of the archeological excavations and surveys undertaken during the 2022 TAS Field School held June 11-18 in Kerrville, Texas.
Evidence for Scythian Archery: A Discussion with Jack Farrell Houston Archeological Society 2022-04-22 | Houston Archeological Society member Jack Farrell discusses evidence for Scythian archery. Jack is a life-long traditional archer, experimental bow maker, and published writer.
Introducing the Rice Archaeology Learning Laboratory and Student Research on Texas History Houston Archeological Society 2022-04-22 | Introducing the Rice Archaeology Learning Laboratory and Student Research on Texas History, presented by Mary PrendergastIn 2021, Rice University renovated its archaeology laboratory and expanded the possibilities for teaching and research with the generous donation by HAS of the William McClure Faunal Collection. This talk will provide a virtual tour of the new laboratory, followed by a presentation of ongoing teaching and research projects, including student analyses of animal bone remains from Varner-Hogg Plantation, and a discussion of opportunities for future HAS collaborations.Mary Prendergast is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Rice University. She is an archaeologist focused on human-animal interactions, and works primarily in eastern Africa. She co-leads excavations at a large ancient pastoralist site in Tanzania, in collaboration with the National Museum of Tanzania and University of Florida. She also conducts zooarchaeological analyses of sites along the eastern African coast and islands, and collaborates on studies of ancient proteins, lipids, DNA, and stable isotopes in order to better understand ancient African foodways. She co-directs a large interdisciplinary project on ancient African population histories, in collaboration with geneticists at Harvard University. At Rice, she is also mentoring students in Texas historical zooarchaeology research, including at Varner-Hogg Plantation.
The History & Archeology at the Forts Velasco at the Original Mouth of the Brazos River Houston Archeological Society 2022-03-25 | Avocational archaeologist Chris Kneupper believes that old Velasco at the original mouth of the Brazos River (today’s Surfside Beach) played a more significant role in early Texas history than is generally recognized today. First, it was the main port of entry for Austin’s colony. Later it was the site of several strategic military forts and the towns of Velasco and Quintana. Finally, it was home to various government posts before declining in the late 1800s. In recent decades, there has also been great local interest in building a replica of the first military fort built in 1832, when Texas was part of the Mexican Republic. Named originally as “Fortaleza de Velasco”, the name was also used for the town which grew up around the site for some decades afterward. The town of Velasco was eventually moved upstream in 1891, becoming part of Freeport in 1957, and the name disappeared from the maps. Interestingly, the 1832 fort was in existence for only a very short time, but was the site of an early confrontation between Texas colonists and the Mexican military called the “Battle of Velasco”, sometimes memorialized as Texas’ version of the “Boston Tea Party” or “Lexington and Concord”. Even more interesting is the fact that several more-substantial forts existed later at Velasco, during the Texas Revolution and the Civil War, and for greater periods of time.
Blacksmithing on the Texas Frontier: Historic Archeology at the Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop Houston Archeological Society 2022-02-18 | ***as mentioned in the Q&A, here is the temporary link for the TxDOT film on Bolivar Archeological Project, 5:24 minutes, from TxDOT film producer and videographer, Michael Amador. Bolivar Texas History:txdot.box.com/s/xou8skeysjj9f2ccog1p5frq2h1win7lNote that the film debut was at the Denton Black Film Festival, January 27 to February 6 ,2022.***The Thursday, February 17, 2022 meeting of the Houston Archeological Society features a program by Professional archeologist Doug Boyd entitled Blacksmithing on the Texas Frontier: Historic Archeology at the Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop on the Chisholm Trail in Bolivar, Denton County, Texas. Boyd’s presentation will begin with a discussion of the site’s location on the Chisholm Tail. Although it lasted only two decades, from 1867 to ca. 1886, the Chisolm Trail era is steeped in cowboy and cattle drive history, folklore, and mythology. The trail’s route through Texas is known, but little research has been conducted on the towns and businesses that sprang up in support of this short-lived industry. One of the most important businesses along the Chisholm Trail, and in any frontier town, was the blacksmith shop. Blacksmithing was an essential service in rural areas, and good blacksmiths generally became prominent members in their communities.This program will look at the 2020–2021 archeological and historical investigations of the Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop (41DN617), an archeological site located in Bolivar, a small town along the Chisholm Trail route in western Denton County. The site is especially significant because Thomas Cook, Sr., was an African American freedman who owned and operated his own blacksmith shop. He worked as a blacksmith in Bolivar from the 1870s until his death in 1898. Tom Cook was not only a successful blacksmith, but he was also a minister, a freemason, and a respected member of the Bolivar community. The work was sponsored and funded by the Texas Department of Transportation. It was a collaborative project that has incorporated archival research, descendant community outreach and oral history research, and archeological investigations. The analysis of the recovered artifacts, archeological data, and historical evidence is still ongoing. Ultimately, we hope to be able to better understand the role of rural community blacksmiths in Texas and learn more about the black entrepreneurs like Tom Cook during and after the Chisholm Trail era. Douglas K. Boyd is a senior archeologist with Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, now Stantec, in Austin. He has a BA from West Texas State University and an MA from Texas A&M University. He has been doing archeology, mostly in Texas, for over 45 years (gasp!). For most of that time, he has served as a project archeologist, project manager, or principal investigator on hundreds of cultural resources management projects. He has published a wide range of CRM reports, academic book and journal articles, popular magazine articles, and a variety of public outreach products such as posters, brochures, and internet exhibits. Most of Boyd’s recent CRM work has focused on historical archeology. If you have questions about this meeting or about the Houston Archeological Society, please contact Linda Gorski at president@txhas.org.
A Preview of Historical Archeology Along Buffalo Bayou by Louis F. Aulbach and Linda C. Gorski Houston Archeological Society 2022-01-21 | The city of Houston was founded along the banks of Buffalo Bayou in 1836. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the activity of the city revolved around Houston's main waterway. Modern times have brought growth to the city and many of the historic structures and features of old downtown have been lost to new construction or neglect. We have identified twenty-four sites along Buffalo Bayou that are remnants of the city's historical past. This presentation will examine the so-called Top Ten of those sites and show how they help to recall the history of Houston's earlier eras.
Dan Worrall, People of the Late Archaic Lower Brazos Culture Houston Archeological Society 2021-11-19 | People of the Late Archaic Lower Brazos Culture (LBC) lived along the lower parts of the Brazos and Colorado Rivers extending to the coast; their territory was approximately equivalent to that of the Coco/Karankawa of the early Historic Period. They are principally known from a series of cemetery sites found along the rims of those two river valleys, which were studied by several archeological groups in the 1960s-1990s, including the HAS. A late period at these burial sites (2600 to 1650 BP, or 650 BC to AD 400) witnessed extensive use of exotic long distance exchange goods and marine shell ornaments. Recent research by ethnohistorians using oral history accounts as well as earlier historic era written descriptions of Native Americans of the eastern woodlands region suggest that such long distance exchange was less commercially driven than it was spiritual and cultural. Dan Worrall is among a fifth generation of his family to live in the Houston area. He received a BA from Rice University in 1972 and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978, both in geology. Following a career in exploration geology research and basin studies at Shell Oil Company, he has been a member of the Harris County Historical Commission since 2014, and a member of the HAS since 2017. In 2016, he published a book on the history of the west Houston area entitled Pleasant Bend: Upper Buffalo Bayou and the San Felipe Trail in the Nineteenth Century. Early this year, he followed that with A Prehistory of Houston and Southeast Texas: Landscape and Culture, which describes the development of our area’s natural landscape as well as the Native American people who have lived here for thirteen or more millennia. It is a map-based work that prominently uses 60 years of HAS archeological research among its many sources.
October 21, 2021 HAS Monthly Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-10-22 | The October monthly meeting of the Houston Archeological Society will be held on Thursday, October 21st. This meeting will feature a program by historian and author, Jim Woodrick, who will give a presentation entitled The Cannons of San Jacinto. Three cannons played a critical role at San Jacinto – two in Sam Houston’s army and one in Santa Anna’s. The Texian cannons are known as the Twin Sisters, and the Mexican cannon as the Golden Standard. Through recently digitized archival records we now know the factual story of the San Jacinto artillery, such as the origins of the cannons, how they were used in the battle, and what ultimately happened to them.
The Anthropology of Hunting HAS 1/2021 Live Stream Houston Archeological Society 2021-09-16 | The first meeting of the Houston Archeological Society for 2021 will be held onThursday, January 21, via ZOOM, and now also for the first time, Live Stream on YouTube! Long-time HAS member, Wilson W. "Dub" Crook, will give a presentation on “The Anthropology of Hunting”. The program will begin at 7 p.m. One of the most significant aspects of prehistoric life in Texas (and North America in general) was hunting. From the earliest Paleoindian times through to the Late Prehistoric, subsistence hunting formed an integral component of the daily lives of the indigenous inhabitants of the state. But how often do we think about what hunting entails? HAS member Dub Crook will combine both his archeological knowledge with his in-depth global hunting experiences to talk about prehistoric hunting, animal behavior, and the various hunting techniques that are required to successfully stalk and kill wild game. In his presentation, Dub will discuss hunting tactics for dangerous game (elephant (and mammoth and mastodon), buffalo, bears, the big cats), plains game (antelope,deer, elk, caribou), mountain game (sheep, goats, ibex), and small game animals. He will discuss the risks and rewards facing the prehistoric peoples and how this impacted their hunting methods, strategies and decisions. He will also describe the many factors such as weather, wind, cover, ground terrain, and water/food availability that affect hunting. The objective of the talk is to give HAS members, especially non-hunters, a better appreciation of the difficulties faced by our prehistoric inhabitants on a daily basis. This talk was a basis for a class taught by Mr. Crook to anthropology students at the University of Texas at Arlington.Mr. Crook is a Life Member (Fellow) of the Houston Archeological Society, a Life Member of the Dallas Archeological Society, a member of the Texas Archeological Society, a member of the Center for the Study of the First Americans, a Life Member of the Gault School of Archeological Research, a Research Fellow with the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory in Austin, and a Fellow of the Leakey Foundation. He is also an Archeological Steward for the State of Texas. He is the author of over 180 papers in the field of archeology and has recently published his fourth book titled TheCarrollton Phase Archaic: A Redefinition of the Chronology, Composition, and Aerial Distribution of the Early Archaic Horizon along the Trinity River, Texas.
August 19, 2021 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-08-20 | Dr. Catherine Jalbert presents "Archeology at the Varner-Hogg Plantation: Past, Present, and Future" at the August monthly meeting of the Houston Archeological Society, on the 19th at 7:25pm.The Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site (41BO133) is a historical and archeological site managed by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Located in West Columbia, this property has been home to diverse groups of people who beared witness to its many transitions through time. Originally frequented by Indigenous peoples, this land served as the homesite for one of Austin’s original settlers before becoming a large sugar plantation dependent on enslaved, and later, convict labor. Following the hurricane of 1900, Governor James S. Hogg purchased the property as a vacation home for his family. They soon discovered significant oil deposits that would greatly contribute to the Hogg family wealth. This presentation will focus on the history and development of the land on which Varner-Hogg Plantation now stands. Particular attention will be paid to how archeological evidence has been used to further illuminate this history, gaps in our knowledge, and the ways the THC is developing new avenues for research and collaboration. Catherine Jalbert, Ph.D., is an archeologist with the Historic Sites Division of the Texas Historical Commission (THC). In her role, she is responsible for managing the cultural resources at the Varner-Hogg Plantation and Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Sites (SHS). Catherine has worked on a variety of historic and precontact projects in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, West Virginia, and Northeastern North America, including multiple states in the New England region and Atlantic Canada. In 2018, she acted as Principal Investigator for investigations at the Levi Jordan Plantation SHS carried out by Coastal Environments Inc., under contract with the THC. She is an active member of several professional organizations and currently serves as the Communications Committee Chair for the Council of Texas Archeologists and as co-chair of the Committee on Meeting Safety for the Society for American Archaeology. Catherine earned her B.A. in Anthropology from Franklin Pierce College, located in New Hampshire, in 2006. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Her recently awarded Ph.D. (2019) broadly sought to understand how archeology can become a more diverse and equitable discipline. Her forthcoming publication co-authored with Dr. Laura Heath-Stout (UMASS Boston) in the Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society examines this very subject through an analysis of demographics and authorship in BTAS publications from 1929-2019.
July 15, 2021 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-07-16 | "Trammel’s Trace – the First Road from Texas to the North" Historian and author Gary Pinkerton presents a program based on his acclaimed book, "Trammel’s Trace – The First Road from Texas to the North." In this program Gary discusses Trammel’s Trace - The First Road to Texas from the North, which is the history of a 200-year-old road and its role in early smuggling and migration into Texas beginning in the early 1800s. Both the trail and its namesake, Nicholas Trammell, are the subject of his research. This award-winning work was published in 2016 by Texas A&M University Press. (www.trammelstrace.com) Trammels Trace ran from the Red River to Nacogdoches where it met the Camino Real de los Téjas, and was the first road to Texas from the northern boundary with the United States. It was an early trail for the Caddo and later used for migration from Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee before Texas became a Republic. Praise for the book has been broad. The President of the Texas Historical Foundation said, “through research, countless presentations to local historical organizations, and one-on-one education of landowners, he has reconnected Trammel’s Trace and brought the historic pathway back into current consciousness.” As a result of his research and his efforts to educate others about the old road, the Stone Fort Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas erected a five-foot granite marker for Trammel’s Trace in Nacogdoches in 2018. Pinkerton has a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology from Texas A&M University-Commerce. As an independent researcher and Human Resources consultant he contributes to diverse projects. He is a member of the Editorial Board for the East Texas Historical Association. His work also appears in the online Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, the online Handbook of Texas, the Portal to Texas History, and the Journal of Diving History.
May 20, 2021 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-05-21 | 41KR754 – A New Multicomponent Site Containing Late Paleoindian Through Late Prehistoric Assemblages: Kerr County, TexasSteve Stoutamire from the Hill Country Archeological Association speaks on 41KR754 in Kerr County and the TAS field school that will be held very near there in June. The Hill Country Archeology Association began investigations at 41KR754 in August, 2018 after an invitation by the owners, who recognized ancient cultural material on the surface of a river terrace on their ranch. Initial visits by the HCAA focused on pedestrian surveys particularly in the area of two middens located within the site. These surface areas yielded a good density of chert tools and diagnostic dart points. With the encouragement of the owners to excavate and identify more cultural definition, the HCAA began controlled excavations in December, 2018.Initial excavations revealed a robust assemblage of Middle Archaic through Late Prehistoric dart and arrow points along with various lithic tools, organics including bison bone, pottery, obsidian flakes and other apparent trade items. In July of 2019 the first Paleoindian point was found on the site after the landowner dug a new ditch for a water line. The point was found in the soil heap which had come from the ditch and was identified as Saint Mary’s Hall. Operations then focused within that area of the site, recovering a total of 20 SMH, four Angostura and one possible Golondrina. One C14 date was obtained from bone closely associated with several of the SMH points and yielded a date of calibrated 10,248-10,193 YBP. Operations continue at the site as of April, 2021. Steve Stoutamire is a retired petroleum geologist. He received a BA in Anthropology (1972) from Florida State University and an MS in Geology (1975) from Texas Tech University. During a 32-year career in the petroleum industry he held technical, business and managerial positions in both domestic and international operations. Since retirement in 2007, he and wife Nancy have lived near Kerrville, Texas. He is an active avocational archeologist and regularly works to educate the public through teaching classes and giving archeology lectures. He works with private land owners, by their invitation, to help them understand archeological sites on their property. He is also a member, past president, and current field committee chairman of the Hill Country Archeological Association, a member of the Texas Archeology Society, the Gault School of Archeological Research and the Center for The Study of First Americans. He serves as vice chairman of the board of the Gault School of Archeological Research at the University of Texas, Austin. He also serves as a Texas Archeology Steward for the Texas Historical Commission.
MARCH 18, 2021 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-03-28 | "The Dimond Knoll Project in Perspective: A New Path for Southeast Texas Prehistory," presented by Dr. Jason Barrett on March 18, 2021. DeeAnn Story once wrote that it “is not an exaggeration (or much of an exaggeration) to describe the Archaic chronologies in [Southeast Texas] as among the least well established in North America.” (1990:213). The region has been notoriously neglected by professionals because sites often lack integrity, lithic raw materials are of poor quality, and field conditions are often miserable. These factors have stunted an appreciation for how dynamic this region was in prehistory. A clearer understanding of the region’s prehistoric importance has been reached through the Dimond Knoll project, largely due to the partnership developed between TxDOT, Coastal Environments, Inc., and the Houston Archeological Society. Artifacts of exotic origin, or that references extra-regional traditions, have been recorded periodically in archeological deposits across southeast Texas. New data suggests that artifacts of this type are present far more regularly than they are identified, and that long-held assumptions and biases have contributed to this under-reporting. Stone tools from the sites of Dimond Knoll and Smithers Lake, located in Harris and Fort Bend Counties respectively, provide clear evidence of long-distance movement of people and ideas in prehistory. Remarkably, both the Dimond Knoll and Smithers Lake sites show evidence of having been repeatedly revisited over a period of more than eleven thousand years. Included among the 1,330 projectile points recorded within their combined assemblages are artifact types commonly associated with the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys. The prominence of exotic types at both sites peaks during periods when bison are present in the region. In this presentation, Dr. Barrett proposes a reconstructed network of indigenous footpaths and trade trails to explain the presence of exotic material culture in Southeast Texas, relying on data collected from journals, diaries, and other records of the 17th and 18th century Spanish entradas, as well as from 19th century maps. This new research indicates that native long-distance trade trails had extraordinary time depth, integrated with riverine trade networks, and spread across vast geographic areas. Dr. Barrett also shows several exotic projectile point types identified in the region, and also presents a number of newly defined types (calling everything a Gary or Kent is just lazy!). Jason Barrett received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2004, joining the TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division's Archeological Studies Branch the following year. Dr. Barrett has managed complex regulatory and research-based archeological projects in Texas, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, American Samoa, and New England. For TxDOT, he is currently the managing archeologist for the data recovery excavations at Frost Town in Houston, as well as principal investigator at Dimond Knoll. He also recently directed the Texas Archeological Society’s Annual Field School over three consecutive seasons in Columbus (2014 through 2016), and later served as the Society's President. Jason also volunteers as a professional advisor to the Houston Archeological Society. He has authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, and technical research reports, and has taught courses in archeology and cultural anthropology at Texas A&M University, Baylor University, Rice University, and Blinn College. Jason has lived in Texas since 1995 and in Houston since 2012, and will be moving to Toronto, Canada in April 2021.
January 21, 2021 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2021-01-27 | "The Anthropology of Hunting" by long-time HAS member, Wilson W. "Dub" Crook. One of the most significant aspects of prehistoric life in Texas (and North America in general) was hunting. From the earliest Paleoindian times through to the Late Prehistoric, subsistence hunting formed an integral component of the daily lives of the indigenous inhabitants of the state. But how often do we think about what hunting entails? HAS member Dub Crook combines both his archeological knowledge with his in-depth global hunting experiences to talk about prehistoric hunting, animal behavior, and the various hunting techniques that are required to successfully stalk and kill wild game. In his presentation, Dub discusses hunting tactics for dangerous game (elephant (and mammoth and mastodon), buffalo, bears, the big cats), plains game (antelope, deer, elk, caribou), mountain game (sheep, goats, ibex), and small game animals. He discusses the risks and rewards facing the prehistoric peoples and how this impacted their hunting methods, strategies and decisions. He also describes the many factors such as weather, wind, cover, ground terrain, and water/food availability that affect hunting. The objective of the talk is to give HAS members, especially non-hunters, a better appreciation of the difficulties faced by our prehistoric inhabitants on a daily basis. This talk was a basis for a class taught by Mr. Crook to anthropology students at the University of Texas at Arlington.Mr. Crook is a Life Member (Fellow) of the Houston Archeological Society, a Life Member of the Dallas Archeological Society, a member of the Texas Archeological Society, a member of the Center for the Study of the First Americans, a Life Member of the Gault School of Archeological Research, a Research Fellow with the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory in Austin, and a Fellow of the Leakey Foundation. He is also an Archeological Steward for the State of Texas. He is the author of over 180 papers in the field of archeology and has recently published his fourth book titled The Carrollton Phase Archaic: A Redefinition of the Chronology, Composition, and Aerial Distribution of the Early Archaic Horizon along the Trinity River, Texas.
December 17, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-12-20 | "The Archeology of Christmas" by longtime HAS member Dub Crook. He will go through the Christmas story from Mary's conception in Nazareth to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, to the visitation of the Magi, to the Holy Family's flight to Egypt and show how many aspects have been supported by archeological discoveries, many just over the last several decades.
November 19, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-11-20 | “Beached! Rediscovering the Foreshore Archeology of the Texas Gulf Coast,” presented by Amy Borgens (Texas State Marine Archeologist). Borgens discusses her experiences rediscoveringthe foreshore archeology of the Texas Gulf Coast. The state of Texas has a diverse and rich maritime history spanning five centuries. Underwater archeological sites discovered in state waters include the oldest shipwrecks in the United States (the 1554 Spanish Plate Fleet) and recorded shipwrecks dating to 17th-century French colonization, the Republic of Texas, the Mexican-American War, American Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Often easily overlooked in this diverse array are the shipwrecks that are an obvious part of our everyday environment; those embedded in the beach. These discoveries are the most vulnerable of our state shipwreck sites as they are frequently battered by waves in the surf zone, ravaged by storms, degraded by mollusk consumption, or, most unfortunately, targeted by collectors and beach combers. Amy Borgens was appointed State Marine Archeologist at the Texas Historical Commission in June 2010. As the State Marine Archeologist, Amy is responsible for the preservation, protection, and investigation of shipwrecks and other submerged sites in all state-owned waters. She has worked in the field of Texas maritime archeology for more than two decades and has been associated with several notable Texas shipwreck projects, including La Belle and USS Westfield. In addition, Amy assisted in the excavation of Oklahoma’s only known shipwreck site, Heroine (1838), and participated in the remotely-operated vehicle investigations of early 19th-century shipwrecks at depths exceeding 4,000 ft. off the Texas-Louisiana coast (the Mardi Gras and Monterrey Shipwreck Projects). Collectively, Amy has recorded historic shipwrecks dating from the Byzantine Period to the mid-20th century and has worked on projects in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Canada, Turkey, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Falkland Islands. Her specializations include early 19th-century Gulf of Mexico maritime history and the study of historic small arms artifact assemblages. Her experience in the field of archeology includes wreck excavation and documentation, conservation, artifact photography, and illustration.Amy Borgens earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue University in Fine Arts and received her master's degree in Anthropology from the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Geography at Texas State University.Borgens, Amy. 2017. Chasing the Phantom Ship. JTAH: drive.google.com/file/d/1FtguvhV624gE_WijPtR1CiwZIqfvRC2D/viewBorgens, Amy. 2019. Underwater Intrigue, Medallion://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/publications/issuu_Medallion_Fall_2019.pdf
October 15, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-10-21 | "Archeological Excavations on Hadrian's Wall Highlighting Two Weeks at the Roman Fort Vindolanda," by Dr. Gregg Dimmick, the featured speaker at the Thursday, October 15th, 2020, Houston Archeological Society monthly meeting. Dr. Dimmick discussed his experiences excavating at the Vindolanda Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall in England.Dr. Dimmick’s presentation highlighted his participation in excavations at Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England. Archaeological excavations of the site show it was under Roman occupation from roughly 85 AD to 370 AD. Dr. Dimmick gave a short history of the fort and discussed the amazing anaerobic conditions at the site which have allowed organic artifacts to survive the last 1700 years. The methodology used at the site was discussed andsome artifacts discovered by his team were shown.Gregg Dimmick, MD is a retired pediatrician who previously worked at South Texas Medical Clinics in Wharton, TX, for 37 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Texas A&M University and a 1977 Graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School. Dr. Dimmick is an avocational archaeologist and hascoauthored two archaeological reports on excavations of the retreating Mexican army of 1836. He has participated in archaeological digs at the Fannin battle site as well as the San Jacinto battlefield. He has written: “Sea of Mud, The Retreat of the Mexican Army After San Jacinto, An Archaeological Investigation” which was published in 2004 by the Texas State Historical Association. The second edition was released in paperback in 2006. Dr. Dimmick has appeared on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel in relation to his work on the archaeology of the Mexican army. He has spoken at various conferences on Texas History including the San Jacinto Conference, the DRT’s conference at the Alamo, the Alamo Society, and the Texas Philosophical Society. Dimmick has served for several years on the board of directors and as chairman of the archeology committee for the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy. Following his retirement Dimmick has volunteered at archeological digs at Roman sites in Germany, York, England, and the Vindolanda Fort in England. He is also a member of the Houston Archeological Society and has participated in digs with the Society all over southeast Texas.
September 17, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-09-20 | "Liberty County: A Major Trade Entrepot for Southeast Texas" by HAS member extraordinaire Wilson W. “Dub” Crook. Dub's talk highlights a project that members of the Houston Archeological Society have undertaken over the past three years involving a detailed study of the Andy Kyle Archeological Collection currently curated at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas. Three of the largest sites represented in the collection are the Savoy site (41LB27) (n-20,549 artifacts), Wood Springs (41LB15) (n-3,4418), and Moss Hill (41LB65) (n=3.509), all located in north-central Liberty County. Archeological periods present at the sites range from Paleoindian (Clovis, Dalton, San Patrice, Angostura, Scottsbluff) to Late Prehistoric with the largest occupation being during the Late Archaic and Woodland periods. A number of exotic items are present in the collection including bannerstones and a boatstone made from non-Texas lithic materials, a Mabin Stamped, var. Joe's Bayou ceramic bowl, a type hitherto only known from five sites in the Lower Mississippi Valley, Caddo pottery from East Texas, a hematite plummet with a snake in bas relief, galena (PbS), and a hairpin and a projectile point made from copper. Preliminary analysis indicates the copper originated in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Recent work by archeologist Dr. Jason Barrett has shown that the Savoy site is situated near a major east-west prehistoric trade route (Atascosito Road) as well as along a major north-south trail that transected the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas. As such, these sites probably represent a major entrepot for trade entering the region during the Late Archaic, Woodland, and Late Prehistoric periods.In his presentation, Dub discusses all of these exotic trade items, where they may have originated from, and dispels the notion that the Late Archaic and Woodland period people in Southeast Texas lived in a remote backwater that was not connected to the major activity in the Mississippi Valley.
August 20, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-08-26 | "Cultural Resource Management (CRM) in Texas" Ashley Jones, Houston Archeological Society Board member, professionalarcheologist and vice president of the archeological firm MAC/CEI presented theprogram at the August HAS month meeting on CRM (Cultural ResourcesManagement) Archeology. The ZOOM meeting was held for members only onThursday, August 20 at 7:00 p.m.As members of HAS, we are frequently included in professional archeology projects.Have you ever wondered why a particular project was being undertaken or why aparticular location was being excavated? Ashley will answer these questions bypresenting an overview of the history of CRM archeology in the US and Texas andhow this led to the development of archeology as a profession. She will discusscultural resources and why they need to be managed, the roles of professionalarcheologists, the laws and regulations that guide archeological investigations, andthe different phases of archeological field work.Ashley joined MAC/CEI in 2018. She has extensive cultural resource managementexperience including participating in pedestrian surveys, test excavations, and largescale data recovery excavations across the southwestern United States. She has completed field investigations in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, New Mexico and Arizona. In addition to serving on the HAS Board, Ashley serves as PI (Principal Investigator) on the Kleb Woods Nature Center Public archeology program in northwest Harris County.When she is not in the field, Ashley also serves as a commissioner on the City of Houston’s Archeological and Historical Commission (HAHC) and is the Director of Student Relations for the Houston Chapter of WTS, an international organization for transportation industry professionals.Thank you, Ashley, for a great program!
July 16, 2020 Houston Archeological Society Meeting Houston Archeological Society 2020-07-17 | READ HERE FIRST PLEASE AND SCROLL DOWN... "Historic Artifacts of Big Bend" with Louis Aulbach and Linda Gorski. The production values are low, people, but, heck, it's our first virtual meeting! Warning: There is a minute long stretch at the beginning with a blank screen while Linda is introducing the talk! Do not adjust your screen -- it will pass... Watch for our August HAS meeting upcoming! HAS Members will get the Zoom link in advance so they can attend live!The presentation is a compilation of research from trips to the Big Bend that were taken over a 12 year period from about 1998 - 2010. The presenters are avid paddlers who canoed the Rio Grande several times, and during these trips, they noted several abandoned Mexican villages along the river that needed to be explored. So in addition to their paddling trips to the Big Bend, they started planning trips that would give them an opportunity to hike and explore on land. They usually went to the Big Bend for a week to ten days in February and again in October or November -- cool weather. They discovered their first abandoned village in the first year out to the Big Bend together. It was so fascinating that it hooked them on finding ALL the abandoned villages. So before each trip they did lots of research -- pored over topographic maps, read everything they could about the families who lived in those villages, scrutinized census records and old maps, delved into archives in Austin, including the W. D. Smithers collection at the Harry Ransom Center and in Alpine at Sul Ross University, and then came up with a specific plan for the next trip. They would locate themselves in a primitive campsite near the area that they wanted to research during that particular trip (so they wouldn't waste time driving), and every day they would hike into the back country looking for sites. They did not dig -- not once, ever. Never even carried a trowel. All the artifacts you see in the Powerpoint were on the surface, clearly visible. They photographed them, and then, carefully placed them right back where they found them. Then, they came back to Houston and researched and catalogued every single artifact that they had photographed. In early 2021, the complete report that accompanies this presentation will be published in a Houston Archeological Society Journal on Texas archeology and history. Louis and Linda continue to go to the Big Bend at least once a year (usually in November) and continue to hike and explore, but those early years (1998 - 2010) were the trips included in this presentation. They will have to do an update on what they have discovered in the past ten years!
