Transactions of the Regional Archeological Symposium for Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas: 2002 Page: 4
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Matagorda Bay in February 1686 (Foster 1998:137), where it remained submerged until its
discovery by THC divers in 1995. Underwater excavation was not feasible due to the water's
murky conditions, so a unique double-walled cofferdam was constructed around the shipwreck.
The cofferdam enabled the water to be pumped out and the well-preserved wreck and its contents
to be excavated using traditional "dry land" techniques (Locke 1999).
Once the contents were removed, the Belle's hull was dismantled timber by timber and
sent to the Conservation Laboratory at Texas A&M University for reassembly and conservation
treatment in a large vat (ibid.). Recovered metal artifacts from large cannons to small pins are also
being conserved at the lab to ensure long-term preservation and to ready them for museum
displays.
State Archeological Program
The State Archeological Program focuses on archeological preservation outside the realr
of federal and state regulation. This presents a formidable challenge since approximately 97
percent of the land in Texas is in private ownership. Six regional archeologists work under the
direction of the current State Archeologist, Pat Mercado-Allinger. Though based in Austin, the
regional archeologists are responsible for handling nonregulatory archeological issues in their
assigned regions of the state. Regional archeologists may make field visits, consult with
landowners about sites on their property, conduct archeological investigations, and give public
presentations.
To formally recognize preservation-minded landowners, a new Historic Texas Lands
plaque program was recently instituted. An attractive cast-aluminum plaque is presented to
landowners who have achieved one of the following accomplishments:
transferred ownership of an archeological site to an appropriate public agency, nonprofit
organization, or land trust,
sold or donated a conservation easement for the purpose of protecting archeological
resources,
agreed to the designation of a site as a State Archeological Landmark, thus extending legal
protection under the Antiquities Code of Texas,
allowed substantive archeological research on their property that resulted in the
publication of a report or the placement of the recovered collections and associated records
in an authorized repository.
Frank and Evelyn Sprague of Hamilton, Texas are recent recipients of the Historic Texas
Lands plaque. The Spragues not only allowed the investigation of a stratified site that was exposed
and threatened by cut-bank erosion, they requested that the site be designated a State
Archeological Landmark.
The Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN), another important component of
the State Archeological Program, was established in 1984 and was the first such volunteer
avocational archeological program in the nation. There are currently 116 TASN members,4
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Transactions of the Regional Symposium for Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas: Index to Volumes 1-57 [1965-2024] (Book)
Index to the proceedings of the regional archeological symposium including separate lists by subject, title, author, and volume along with subject categories, a map of regions, and Texas county abbreviations.
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Robertson, Pinky. Transactions of the Regional Archeological Symposium for Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas: 2002, book, 2003; Midland, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1661483/m1/10/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Southwestern Federation of Archaeological Societies.