San Jacinto Battleground and State Historical Park: a Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan
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Volume 2002 Article 3 2002 San Jacinto Battleground and State Historical Park: A Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan I. Waynne Cox Steve A. Tomka Raba Kistner, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita Part of the American Material Culture Commons, Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Cite this Record Cox, I. Waynne and Tomka, Steve A. (2002) "San Jacinto Battleground and State Historical Park: A Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan," Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: Vol. 2002, Article 3. https://doi.org/10.21112/ita.2002.1.3 ISSN: 2475-9333 Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2002/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Regional Heritage Research at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. San Jacinto Battleground and State Historical Park: A Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License This article is available in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2002/iss1/3 San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park A Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan by I. Waynne Cox and Steve A. Tomka with contributions by Jennifer L. Logan and José E. Zapata Center for Archaeological Research The University of Texas at San Antonio Archaeological Survey Report, No. 318 2002 San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park: A Historical Synthesis and Archaeological Management Plan by I. Waynne Cox and Steve A. Tomka with contributions by Jennifer L. Logan and José E. Zapata Steve A. Tomka Principal Investigator published by Center for Archaeological Research The University of Texas at San Antonio Archaeological Survey Report, No. 318 ©copyright 2002 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio Abstract The San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park is located in Harris County, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of downtown Houston. The park is situated adjacent the San Jacinto River and about five miles (eight kilometers) northwest of where the river empties into Galveston Bay. The park is comprised of a little over 1,100 acres (445 hectares) that have been accumulated over the years, beginning in 1883. Management of the park has been in the hands of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department since 1965. The adoption of a new master plan and anticipated park development underscored the need to better understand the parks history and cultural resources. In early-2001, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department contracted The University of Texas at San Antonio, Center for Archaeological Research, to undertake a review and synthesis of the sites history. The work involved an archaeological resource evaluation of the park. In addition to developing a historical synthesis, this project was also designed to utilize the available historical documents, as well as interviews, to assess the probability that buried cultural resources are present throughout the park and to make recommendations as to the need for additional archaeological work, particularly prior to ground-disturbing activities. i Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................................................. i Figures ............................................................................................................................................................... iv Tables ............................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Project Background by José E. Zapata Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Scope ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2: Environmental Setting by Jennifer L. Logan Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Environment .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Flora and Fauna............................................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 3: Culture Historical Summary by Jennifer L. Logan Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Paleoindian Period ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Archaic Period ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Late Prehistoric Period................................................................................................................................ 14 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 4: Previous Investigations by Jennifer L. Logan Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 17 1950s ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 1960s ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 1970s ........................................................................................................................................................... 20 1980s ........................................................................................................................................................... 20 1990s ........................................................................................................................................................... 21 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 5: The Battle of San Jacinto Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 23 The Spanish and Mexican Period ............................................................................................................... 23 Austins Colony .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Growing Unrest ........................................................................................................................................... 25 The Revolution Begins ............................................................................................................................... 26 The Counter Offensive ................................................................................................................................ 27 The Runaway Scrape .................................................................................................................................. 27 The Battle .................................................................................................................................................... 29 The Aftermath ............................................................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 6: Development of the Region and Founding of the State Historical Park Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 34 Area Development ...................................................................................................................................... 34 San Jacinto Battleground Park .................................................................................................................... 35 The San Jacinto Monument .......................................................................................................................