Posts About archeology

October is Texas Archeology Month, the time we celebrate the science and history of past cultures. But what is archeology? A traditional definition of archeology is the scientific study of material remains of past human life and activities. When we think of archeology, we often picture ancient civilizations that left little to no written record of their history. But there is an entire...

THC's Historic Sites, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site | archeology

By Amy A. Borgens, THC State Marine Archeologist 

In late 2018, a fisherman was casting a line off the South Texas coast when he noticed a distinctive shape emerging from the water at low tide. He immediately notified the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Archeology Division, which dispatched staff the next day to identify and document the discovery.

The object was a 20-foot-...

The Medallion | Stories of Texas History, archeology, marine archeology

Remnants of Boca Chica shipwreck

By Amy Borgens and Sarah Linden, THC Marine Archeology Program staff                                 

In a prior blog, Marine Archeology Program (MAP) staff described the types of archeological sites located in coastal public areas and waterways. These amazing finds are often vulnerable to man-made impacts, vandalism, and looting despite the protections specified in the Antiquities...

Archeology | marine archeology, archeology

Fort Bend archives

By Bradford M. Jones, THC Curatorial Facility Certification Program Coordinator

“So, what happened to those archeological artifacts?”

It’s a question the Texas Historical Commission’s Curatorial Facility Certification Program (CFCP) receives from museum staff and interested citizens after an archeology project in their community. The CFCP, part of the THC’s Archeology Division...

The Medallion | archeology

Mansfield Cut, South Jetty

By Sarah Linden, THC Marine Archeologist

Most Texans know the best way to cool down from the heat is to grab some sunscreen and hit the beach or float down one of our beautiful rivers. Texas boasts 367 linear miles of coastline and 1,500 square miles of river bottoms. These waters have been historically utilized to transport people, goods, and culture for hundreds of years. There are...

Archeology | archeology, marine archeology, artifact

1918 ship

By Amy Borgens and Dorothy Rowland, State Marine Archeologist and Marine Archeology Program Intern

This wooden vessel was constructed in Beaumont in 1918. Many similar ships were built for the government’s Emergency Fleet Corporation during World War I. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration...

The Medallion | archeology, marine archeology

USS Houston

By Amy Borgens, State Marine Archeologist

The 600-foot Northampton-class cruiser USS Houston was sunk by the Japanese Navy during World War II on March 1, 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait off Indonesia. The sunken ship served as an unintentional grave for many of the more than 700 sailors and marines that perished in the tragedy.  Of the 1,061 crew on board, only 368 survived,...

Archeology | marine archeology, shipwreck, archeology

aerial view of archeology dig

By Jeff Durst, Archeology Division Staff

On a hot and muggy June morning, members of the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN) arrived at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site with an important mission: to unearth significant history. Located in the small village of San Felipe about 40 miles west of Houston, the site served as the hub of...

The Medallion | Texas Archeology Month, archeology, San Felipe de Austin, heritage travel

Brass cannon from La Belle

By Eliot Stone, THC Heritage Tourism Specialist

Beneath the vaulted, hull-like ceiling of the THC’s library in Austin, Jim Bruseth cast his gaze askance as if reconsidering the course of the story he had already begun to tell. Bruseth—our former Archeology Division Director who discovered and excavated the remains of La Salle’s ship, La Belle, in Matagorda Bay—visited the THC in...

Heritage Travel | La Salle, La Belle, museums, marine archeology, heritage travel, archeology

Children's archeology table at Ocean Discovery Day

By Amy Borgens and Sarah Linden, THC Marine Archeology Program staff

Earlier this spring, we traveled to Galveston to team up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) for the 10th annual family-centered event “Ocean Discovery Day.” The event is designed to introduce visitors to the variety of marine...

Archeology | marine archeology, archeology