SAN JACINTO SCREENING PROJECT
HAS Members - get ready for another screening project!
Recently Bob Sewell, Louis Aulbach and Linda Gorski headed out to San Jacinto to eyeball several piles of dirt that the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy has invited HAS to screen.
Here’s some background information.
Louis Aulbach points out the piles
According to Cecil Jones, Board Member of the SJBC, the dirt was excavated from the parking lot of the Monument Inn during utility improvement work. As the dirt was backhoed out of the parking lot it was loaded into dump trucks and as the dump trucks filled they were driven just a short distance away and piled on property owned by SJBC. And that is where the dirt has remained, untouched, for over a year. HAS Member Jan DeVault who also serves as president of the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy contacted HAS about the dirt piles.
Recently Boy Scout Troop 557 from Katy was doing an Eagle Scout project cleaning up the area and agreed to clear away a lot of the trees and shrubs that had grown up in the piles. We were there as the underbrush was being cleared and just a few trowel strokes proved there are artifacts to be found in these dirt piles.
The history of the area is rich and diverse. The township of San Jacinto was located in the area of the Monument Inn from the 1840s until the late 1800s. Families fleeing during the Runaway Scrape took this route. And, of course, the Battlefield at San Jacinto is nearby, as is the Battleship Texas. There’s no telling what we will find in these piles of dirt. Those of you who enjoyed working with us at the Dimond Knoll project will love this one, too!
Watch your email for more details about this project.
You can track our progress by viewing the San Jacinto Screening Project Bulletins shown below.
UPDATE: Unfortunately we didn't find anything significant in the dirt piles. We have now closed this project.
Bulletin #1 |
Bulletin #2 |
Bulletin #3 |
To learn more about this project contact the President: president@txhas.org