Intensive Archeological Survey Of Munson Tract Phase I City Of Sherman, Grayson County, Texas

• Main Authors: Gulihur, Caitlin, Valenzuela, Beth
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: SFA ScholarWorks 2020
• Subjects: Texas; Archaeology; Grayson County; American Material Culture; American Studies; Anthropology; Archaeological Anthropology; Environmental Studies; History; History of Art; Architecture; and Archaeology; Other American Studies; Other Arts and Humanities; Other History of Art; United States History; Munson; Archeological Survey
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2020/iss1/155; https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4788&context=ita

The City of Sherman is sponsoring the Munson Tract Phase I project where infrastructure including water lines, wastewater lines, and roadways will be constructed in southwest Sherman, Grayson County, Texas. Terracon Consultants, Inc. was retained by the Munson Realty Company to conduct a systematic, intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of the approximately 210- acre project area. Because the City of Sherman, a political subdivision of the State of Texas, is controlling the project, the proposed undertaking is subject to compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas and oversight from the Texas Historical Commission (THC). In addition, the survey meets the standards for compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, as a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) may be required for the project. The cultural resources survey was carried out under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 8941, issued to Caitlin Gulihur, MA, RPA, Principal Investigator. Fieldwork was carried out by Caitlin Gulihur with assistance from Project Archeologist Victoria Pagano, and Archeological Technicians Ruben Castillo, Jr. and Juan Morlock. Records from the project will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University. The approximate 210-acre parcel slated for development was considered the Area of Potential Effect (APE). Survey of the APE consisted of systematic pedestrian coverage, including discretionary shovel tests. The work was carried out on June 17-20, 2019. Several acres of the project area were disturbed from buried and overhead utilities. Seventy-one shovel tests were excavated in areas that had less than 30 percent ground visibility or placed in areas previously undisturbed. Cultural materials were not observed during the excavation of shovel tests. Two historic-age archeological sites were recorded, 41GS255 and 41GS256. Site 41GS255 was recorded in the northwestern portion of the project area and consists of the remains of historicage structures and an associated artifact scatter. Site 41GS256 consists of the remains of a historic-age farmstead. Terracon recommends that both 41GS255 and 41GS256 are not eligible for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing or State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) designation under any criteria. Therefore, there are no known historic properties present within the APE. Given the absence of NRHP-eligible historic properties within the APE, it is Terracon’s recommendation that the proposed project be allowed to proceed as currently designed. In the unlikely event that human remains or cultural features are discovered during construction, construction should cease in the vicinity of the remains and Terracon, the Texas Historical Commission’s Archeology Division, or other proper authorities should be contacted.