Archaeological Preservation Program

The Board of Directors of Preservation Texas has approved Archaeological Site Stewardship Guidelines for the organization, establishing a process for acquiring and permanently stewarding significant archaeological sites across Texas. The new Archaeological Site Preservation Program is a key component of our Strategic Vision to permanently steward historic resources.

Preservation Texas will pursue fee simple ownership of significant archaeological sites through donations, transfers, or, in limited cases, purchases, and will implement measures to ensure their long-term protection. The organization's state charter empowers it to acquire, protect, and interpret archaeological sites and to conduct archaeological research.

Priority sites for acquisition include:

  • Indigenous villages and contact-era settlements

  • Early Texas homesteads

  • Early Texas rural industry (e.g., pottery kilns, lime kilns, mill foundations)

  • Texas Freedom Colonies (e.g. farmsteads, school and church sites, cemeteries)

  • South Texas borderlands ranching and settlement sites

  • Abandoned early to mid-19th century townsites

  • Remnants of early trails, road networks, and ferry crossings

  • Archaeological sites identified through our Endangered Heritage program

Preservation Texas currently stewards the Hopewell Freedom Colony as part of its Center for Heritage Education in rural Falls County. This nearly 300-acre tract was once home to dozens of freedmen who established an independent community during Reconstruction. Future archaeological exploration of the farmstead sites will reveal new stories about Texas's past. The Hopewell Cemetery, which also survives, has recently been designated a Historic Texas Cemetery.

Looking ahead, Preservation Texas plans to employ a full-time professional archaeologist to lead its archaeological research and preservation programs. As we approach the Texas bicentennial in 2036, expanding our preservation programs and initiatives is central to our vision. Bringing on a dedicated archaeologist will enable us to uncover and protect even more of Texas’s rich heritage for future generations.