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Fm 518 B from Fm 270 to Fm 518 Txdot RECONNAISSANCE-LEVEL SURVEY REPORT FM 518 BYPASS MIDDLE ALIGNMENT: FROM FM 270 TO FM 518 GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXAS TXDOT CSJ: 0912-37-139 JULY 2008 SUBMITTED TO: QUADRANT CONSULTANTS INC. HOUSTON, TX BY: EMILY THOMPSON PAYNE ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN HARDY·HECK·MOORE, INC. 611 S. CONGRESS AVENUE, SUITE 400 AUSTIN, TX 78704-1700 512/478-8014 [email protected] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of a reconnaissance-level survey of above-ground historic resources constructed in 1965 or earlier that may be affected by construction of the proposed Middle Bypass Alternative for FM 518 in League City, Galveston County, Texas. The proposed FM 518 Bypass would be a four-lane highway, 80-feet wide, which would be constructed along a new alignment. The proposed Middle Bypass Alternative would roughly parallel an existing canal from its intersection with FM 270 (Egret Bay Boulevard) to FM 2094, at which point the proposed roadway would trend south to its terminus at FM 518, a travelling total distance of approximately one mile. The proposed road construction project will be conducted for the City of League City, Texas, which is under contract with Huitt-Zollars Inc. and Quadrant Consultants. The TxDOT Control Section Job (CSJ) No. for the project is 0912-37-139. Based on the Programmatic Agreement for Transportation Undertakings (PATU) among TxDOT, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the new alignment was 300 feet wide. The survey documented all historic-age resources within the APE, as well as historic-age resources located on parcels of land that extend into the APE. The reconnaissance-level survey conducted on June 5, 2008 identified 10 historic-age resources in the study area. The current study recommends that no resources within the study area are eligible for listing in the NRHP. Descriptions of each historic-age resource, including location, property type, plan, and NRHP recommendation, appear in Appendix A of this report. Maps indicating the study area and location of each historic-age resource appear in Appendix B, and photographs of identified historic-age resources as well as overall contextual views of the study area are included in Appendix C. Reconnaissance-Level Survey Report—July 2008 1 FM 518 Bypass: FM 270 to FM 2094 to FM 518 League City Galveston County, Texas CSJ: 0912-37-139 INTRODUCTION This reconnaissance-level survey report identifies and assesses buildings, structures, objects, districts, and non-archaeological sites constructed by 1965 that could be affected by the proposed construction of the Middle Bypass Alternative of FM 518 in League City, Galveston County, Texas. This report is intended to provide information for use in regulatory compliance and coordination under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, and their implementing regulations. Hardy·Heck·Moore, Inc., (HHM) of Austin, Texas prepared the report for submittal to Quadrant Consultants, Inc. Cultural resources specialists meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards (36 CFR 61) conducted the reconnaissance-level survey and prepared the report with NRHP-eligibility recommendations. This report includes a description of the project, research and field methods, evaluation methods, historic context, as well as NRHP-eligibility evaluations and recommendations. In addition, the report provides detailed support documentation, including an NRHP-eligibility recommendations table that lists all identified historic-age resources in the study area, maps that depict the study area and the location of the documented properties, and photo pages of the documented historic-age resources in the study area (Appendices A, B, and C). NRHP evaluations and recommendations for this reconnaissance-level survey rely principally on an analysis of the current condition and physical characteristics of the identified historic-age resources and the ability of these resources to convey their significance. Only a limited amount of historical research was undertaken. Supplemental and more detailed historical research may uncover significant historical associations, but such in-depth research is beyond the scope of a reconnaissance-level survey. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The City of League City is proposing to construct a new alignment of FM 518 that would bypass the current roadway to the north, travelling roughly parallel to an existing canal from its intersection with FM 270 (Egret Bay Boulevard) to FM 2094, then trending south and terminating at the current alignment of FM 518. The proposed project is approximately one mile in length, including four lanes of traffic within proposed Right of Way (ROW). PROJECT SETTING The project is located in League City, near the northern boundary of Galveston County, Texas. League City is approximately 20 miles north of Galveston Island, and approximately 20 miles south of Houston. Galveston County is located on the Gulf Coast in southeast Texas, approximately 80 miles southwest of the Louisiana state line. The county’s nearly 450-square mile area includes the mainland, Galveston Bay, and Galveston Island. Galveston County’s soils range from heavy clays to sandy loams and its terrain is a nearly flat prairie that gently slopes Reconnaissance-Level Survey Report—July 2008 2 FM 518 Bypass: FM 270 to FM 2094 to FM 518 League City Galveston County, Texas CSJ: 0912-37-139 towards the gulf. Native timber includes pine, ash, magnolia, pin oak, live oak, water oak, hackberry, cottonwood, and sycamore. Just north of the study area, Clear Creek flows northeast into Clear Lake and forms the boundary between Galveston County and Harris County. The topography is flat marsh land, and Robinson’s Bayou runs from north to south through the study area. The area was settled circa 1900, and early land use in the area took advantage of the silty soils to grow oranges, cotton, corn, potatoes, sugarcane, and truck crops. Some experimental rice farming also took place in the early twentieth century near Webster, just northwest of the study area. During the mid- to late twentieth century, the area began to grow as oil was discovered, and as oil production accelerated in the Galveston Bay area. Population growth increased further in the early 1960s as NASA constructed the Johnson Space Center along Clear Lake on the north bank of Clear Creek, just northeast of the study area. Today, the character of League City and the study area is suburban, with low-density commercial development along the major transportation corridors formed by FM 518, FM 270, and FM 2094 and single-family residential subdivisions radiating off from these corridors. Some land remains undeveloped along Clear Creek, Robinson Bayou, and the canals, but there does not appear to be ongoing agricultural land use in the area. RESEARCH DESIGN The research design served as the basis for documenting, researching, and assessing the historic- age resources in the study area. By including specific questions that guided and directed research efforts and subsequent historical analyses, the research design laid the foundation for gathering information that would be critical for documenting and assessing the relative significance and NRHP eligibility of the historic-age resources. The research design identified data sources, as well as principal historical themes and topics that influenced developmental patterns. The following research design was submitted to Quadrant Consultants, Inc. for approval in July 2007. AREA OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS (APE) AND STUDY AREA Based on the Programmatic Agreement for Transportation Undertakings (PATU) among TxDOT, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the project will have a 300-foot APE. The survey will include all historic-age resources in the study area. The study area will also include historic-age resources that may be located outside the APE but are historically associated with parcels/tracts of land that extend into the APE. These historic-age resources may be part of a historic landscape that may be affected by the proposed project and thus will be subject to NRHP eligibility assessment. SURVEY CUTOFF DATE HHM professional staff will conduct a reconnaissance-level survey to document all resources constructed in 1965 or earlier within the project’s APE. The survey date of 1965 was recommended to comply with TxDOT guidance requiring identification of all buildings, structures, and objects 50 years of age or over at the time of contract letting for proposed project construction. Reconnaissance-Level Survey Report—July 2008 3 FM 518 Bypass: FM 270 to FM 2094 to FM 518 League City Galveston County, Texas CSJ: 0912-37-139 RESEARCH QUESTIONS How would identified resources be significant within a local context and how would they help us understand the history of the area? Was the canal historically associated with the electric power plant located northwest of the project area? If so, does it represent a significant aspect of the history of electric power generation and conveyance in the area? Does the canal exhibit noteworthy design features or physical characteristics? Are there any other components associated with the canal in the study area?
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