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TxDOT Preserves History as It Paves the Way to the Future

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TxDOT Archeologists James Abbott, Ph.D., and Jon Budd watched and waited for days as construction crews uncovered the old ground surface of the Roberts Cemetery located just outside the community of Troy in Bell County. A portion of the cemetery had been buried over 50 years ago beneath a thick layer of fill dirt during the original construction of I-35.

A large backhoe removed truckload after truckload of dirt. When the faint, rectangular outline of soil discoloration measuring two-and-a-half by six feet appeared, Abbott waved his arms over his head and the work ceased. Abbott and Budd both got down on their hands and knees and worked with their hand trowels to carefully expose the outline of a grave. Further excavation revealed the presence of a total of four graves within the I-35 right of way adjacent to the Roberts Cemetery. The graves dated from 1895 to 1930.

Roberts Cemetery grave

The discovery of graves like this one in the Roberts Cemetery halted construction in the area until TxDOT archeologists could investigate the site and remove remains in the right of way. The remains were re-interred in another portion of the cemetery.


Earlier, in 2008—in preparation for the I-35 Expansion Project—TxDOT wanted to determine if the original interstate construction that occurred in the early 1960s had unknowingly infringed on cemetery inhabitants. Much research was done along the 80 miles of planned construction zones, and one location stood out as a possible site of lost graves: the Roberts Cemetery in Troy, set alongside I-35, bordering the right of way. Instructions were included in the construction plans that required an archeologist to be on site during excavation. And TxDOT archeologists were there when that process began.

"At least 50 truckloads of fill dirt had to be removed before we could even begin to search for graves in some of the areas proposed for construction," explains Budd. After the grave shafts were delineated, archeologists from TxDOT and Prewitt and Associates—a firm specializing in cultural resource management—carefully and respectfully removed the remains by hand. "Although all the wooden caskets had rotted away over time, we soon found human skeletal remains and the hardware used on the caskets like nails, handles and hinges." The burials were all documented for posterity and eventually reinterred in another part of the cemetery.

The Roberts Cemetery case was an opportunity for the 10-member, highly experienced TxDOT archeological team, which is part of the agency's Environmental Affairs Division, to exercise their expertise. A large portion of TxDOT projects don't encounter archeological concerns. However, when there are issues, like with the Roberts Cemetery, they can prove very complex.

Michael Rhodes and a Troy resident re-inter burial remains

Michael Rhodes, environmental specialist in the Waco District, and a Troy resident re-inter the remains of a burial moved as a result of the search and retrieval of impacted graves by TxDOT archeologists.


"Our state is rich with history, and much of it lies just below the surface," Budd says. "Anytime TxDOT builds a new road or expands an existing road, we go to work to protect and document the archeological record."

Since the late 1960s, Texas and every other state has followed national historic preservation laws—which did not exist during the initial I-35 construction. To discover and protect significant sites, TxDOT partners with the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Historical Commission, Native American tribes, and County Historical Commissions.

Before roadway construction can begin, TxDOT archeologists must determine if any significant archeological properties would be impacted. This initially entails checking the atlas of previously recorded archeological sites. TxDOT archeologists also study geological data and often prescribe walk-over surveys or inspection of the proposed project area. If something significant is uncovered, extensive field investigations take place, including excavation. A significant archeological site is defined as one that possesses the potential to yield new information about the prehistoric or historic development of the area. Since 2000, archeologists have unearthed 54,000 cubic feet of dirt at 25 significant sites.

Among their many finds, they've uncovered early German settlements from the 1830s, 11,000-year-old Paleo-Indian artifacts, numerous native Indian campsites used for deer and bison processing, and the remarkable story of Ransom Williams, a freed slave from the Buda area who managed to buy and farm 45 acres in Travis County.

re-interment ceremony

A pastor and residents of Troy, who gathered for a short ceremony at the re-interment of the burials March 25, 2013.


"We discovered the Williams farm in 2005 during the early planning of State Highway 45. We had a feeling this area was significant, and it certainly turned out to be," Budd says. "Finding and documenting a freedmen farmstead is very rare. We collected 26,000 artifacts, and the project uncovered this family's transition from slavery to freedom." Read more

The Texas Historical Commission is responsible for curating tens of thousands of state-owned artifacts uncovered by TxDOT. The artifacts are housed at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin, The Center for Archeological Studies at Texas State University in San Marcos or The Center for Archeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

TxDOT is in the preliminary stages of working with museums to have some of the artifacts available for public viewing. Many of the finds and their historical significance are detailed online.

"As an archeologist with TxDOT, my biggest desire is to achieve excellence in protecting and managing the archeological record," Budd states. "Simply put, our primary motivation is to do the right thing."

For more information on TxDOT archeological efforts, projects and reports, plus a video about our cultural resources, go to TxDOT's archeology and history page. Some TxDOT resource material will be available Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Waco Mammoth National Monument, located at 6220 Steinbeck Bend Road in Waco.

For additional information, contact:

Director of Cultural Resources Management
(512) 416-2628
Email

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