Best Potential Dig Sites

[cantador4u]

This is a hypothetical question, or maybe questions regarding where archaeological digs, could/should be done. It seems that digs are done only when there is going to be some construction that may disturb a site. I may be wrong but to me there doesn't seem to be a PLAN for any future digs. So I am taking this as an opportunity to help make such a plan.

Where do YOU think great potential lies to advance the knowledge of the history of the Alamo by means of a controlled archaeological dig?

I hope that in the process people like me (who have no real idea of all the variables that go into a decision to perform a dig) can gain better insight into why things are they way they are. For example is it necessary to pay for a dig or does a university do it for the pure advancement of knowledge and to give grad students some field experience and something to publish for advancement in academia? How expensive can it be? You're just digging really really slowly, right? And most of the work is done by volunteers.

To start out I think a dig at the location of the latrine (yea, I know it sounds distasteful) would be enlightening because so many things accidentally fall in or are intentionally discarded there. I don't think the site was disturbed to that depth during its history either by the Army or when it was a store. There would be no restrictions due to graves in the area, it would not stop traffic and there is nothing built over the location now.

I would love to hear others ideas.

Paul Meske, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

[Paul Sylvain]

Another interesting post. Obviously items do turn up, as the did in 2008 below the History Shop on Houston St. I think you also have to consider that there has been so much urban construction in and under and around the buildings and streets downtown, that much of what might have been there once upon a time, has probably been destroyed or lost over the past 170-some-odd years since the siege.

We can only hope there's more to be found.

Paul

[cantador4u]

Yes Paul I too hope that there IS more to be found. Where do YOU think the best places to look for it is?

Paul Meske, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

[Paul Sylvain]

That's a tough question for me to answer. If you haven't had the chance to visit the History Store/Museum on Houston, where Mark Lemon's model is housed, please do. You can look down below floor level to see bits of metal and cannon balls and such found there two years ago. There was a lot of discussion here about the possible source of that -- possibly from one of the Alamo's cannons in the area of the cattle pens, for example.

If that's true, you can probably project out a similar distance from most of the defensive cannon emplacements to map out where such artifacts might be found, if fired from cannons at attacking troops during the final assault.

But you'd also want to consider the location of the Mexican lines -- where their quarters were, and so on. People drop things, lose things, and they might still be there. The area of the North Wall, where the Mexican troops amassed in such huge numbers before pouring over the wall, and where Travis fell, would be a prime spot, except there's a Federal Building standing there now. Whatever was there is probably long gone in thebuikding of that structure. Same for the West Wall where so much building and excavating has taken place for those businesses over the years. Any hidden artifacts in the plaza itself, has been lost to street building, as well.

Perhaps someone with the computer know-how, or with PhotoShop or some other program, etc., could take an overhead photo of downtown San Antonio, superimpose the complete Alamo compound over it (which has already been done), AND then add location of the Mexican batteries and lines, etc. Such a view would lend some perspective to distances from the compound of various cannon emplacements, quarters, etc. That should give you a fairly good idea of the most likely spots for finding the sorts of things that might be there.

Paul

[tracesoftexas]

Jan 2, 2010 19:42:55 GMT -5 Paul Sylvain said:

If that's true, you can probably project out a similar distance from most of the defensive cannon emplacements to map out where such artifacts might be found, if fired from cannons at attacking troops during the final assault.

But you'd also want to consider the location of the Mexican lines -- where their quarters were, and so on. People drop things, lose things, and they might still be there.

It occurs to me that things often turn up after heavy rains, and it has been raining quite a bit in San Antonio over the last few days ....

[sloanrodgers]

Even better with a backhoe. ;D