Report on the Archaeological Investigations Conducted Between 1992 and 1993 at the Alamo Sales Museum (41BX6) Bexar County, Texas by Steve A. Tomka , Anne A. Fox, Antonia L. Figueroa and Jennifer L. Thompson with contributions by Barbara A. Meissner and Bruce K. Moses Texas Antiquities Permit No. 1033 aeolo g rc h ica r A l R o e f s r e te a r n c e h Prepared for: C Prepared by: T h o i e The Daughters of the Republic of Texas n Center for Archaeological Research U o t n i n 510 E. Anderson Ln. v e A The University of Texas at San Antonio rs a n i t y S Austin, TX 78752 of Texa s at Archaeological Report, No. 388 ©2008 Report on the Archaeological Investigations Conducted Between 1992 and 1993 at the Alamo Sales Museum (41BX6), Bexar County, Texas by Steve A. Tomka, Anne A. Fox, Antonia L. Figueroa and Jennifer L. Thompson with contributions by Barbara A. Meissner and Bruce K. Moses Texas Antiquities Permit# 1033 issued to Alton K. Briggs Prepared for THE DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS Prepared by: Center for Archaeological Research The University of Texas at San Antonio Archaeological Report No. 388 © 2008 Archaeology at the Alamo Sales Museum Abstract Abstract: Lone Star Archaeological Services, under the direction of Alton K. Briggs, conducted archaeological investigations in the vicinity and under the Sales Museum preceding the Sales Museum expansion project. The work was carried out between July 1991 and April 1993 under Texas Antiquities Committee permit number 1033 with Briggs serving as the Principal Investigator. Following the completion of the fieldwork, Briggs submitted several draft reports in order to fulfill permit requirements. The Texas Historical Commission rejected the draft reports and the permit lapsed into default. In 2003, the Center for Archaeological Research acquired the collection of artifacts recovered during the project and a fraction of the notes generated by the project. This report summarizes the results of the analysis conducted on the collection and describes the excavation results as they can be reconstructed based on the information available to the CAR staff. All artifacts collected during this project and all project- associated documentation is permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines. ii Table of Contents Archaeology at the Alamo Sales Museum Table of Contents: Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................................................i Table of Contents ..........................................................................................................................................................................ii List of Figures..............................................................................................................................................................................iv List of Tables................................................................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction and Project Background ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Historical Background of the Alamo........................................................................................................................... 5 Spanish Colonial Period (1718–1800)........................................................................................................................................ 5 Spanish Army Period (1801–1810) ............................................................................................................................................ 5 The Revolutionary Period (1810–1836)..................................................................................................................................... 5 The Republic of Texas Period (1836–1845)............................................................................................................................... 7 U.S. Army Period I (1845–1861) ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Confederate Army Period (1861–1865) ..................................................................................................................................... 7 U.S. Army Period II (1865–1876) .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Commercial Period (1876–1896) ............................................................................................................................................... 8 The DRT’s Stewardship.............................................................................................................................................................. 8 History of the Sales Museum ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 The Alamo Acequia System ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 3: Previous Investigations on the Alamo Grounds ........................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 4: Research Design and Archaeological Field and Laboratory Methods ...................................................................... 15 Research Design ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Field Methods........................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Laboratory Methods ................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Chapter 5: Results of Excavations .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Phase I ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Phase II ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 The Access Pit........................................................................................................................................................................ 24 The Passageway ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Phase III.................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Trench 1.................................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Test Pit 1................................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Trench 2.................................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Trench 3.................................................................................................................................................................................. 43 The Northwest Test Unit ........................................................................................................................................................ 47 The Southeast Test Unit ......................................................................................................................................................... 49 The “Ramp” ........................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 6: Artifact Descriptions ................................................................................................................................................. 53 Ceramics ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 53 Native American Ceramics .................................................................................................................................................... 53 Unglazed Colonial Ceramics.................................................................................................................................................