Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - 11:19am
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-...
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 8:00am
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...
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 - 7:00am
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...
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 8:00am
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...
Monday, May 29, 2017 - 10:09pm
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,...
Thursday, October 13, 2016 - 8:00am
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...
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 - 7:30am
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...
Monday, November 17, 2014 - 3:35pm
By Amy Borgens and Andy Rhodes, THC Staff
Each October, Texas Archeology Month (TAM) celebrates the spirit of discovery. Texas Historical Commission (THC) archeologists work with communities across the state to heighten awareness of cultural heritage and discuss compelling elements of the past.
In the process, archeologists have found that shipwrecks are among the most...
Monday, May 12, 2014 - 3:45pm
By THC Archeology Division Staff
From modest beginnings with 10 participants, the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN) now boasts more than 100 members dedicated to helping the state preserve invaluable resources.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the TASN, an innovative program comprised of highly trained and motivated avocational archeologists who work closely...
Thursday, May 16, 2013 - 12:07pm
By Amy Borgens, State Marine Archeologist
In the northern Gulf of Mexico’s shallow waters, visibility is often poor at best. But beneath the lightly lapping waves are the remains of a diverse array of historic shipwrecks, some discovered, but most unknown to archeologists, historians, and enthusiasts.
The Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) marine archeology program has long...
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