Lake Jackson

Conducting two TAS field schools at the Lake Jackson State Archeological Landmark (LJSAL) required strategic planning worthy of a military campaign, coordination between a bevy of "stakeholders," and, of course, lots of labor and luck. These efforts paid off in significant archeological accomplishments, field education for beginners, and many good times. Good fortune smiled on the project as well: the humidity was low, the nights were surprisingly cool, and the mosquitoes and alligators decided to clear out when the TAS moved in!

The 1994 and 1995 TAS field schools were conducted at the Lake Jackson plantation and sugar mill complex as well as at the nearby Follet Lake site. These field schools provided the TAS membership with two types of archeological opportunities: the chance to excavate the structural remains (i.e. brick walls) of a Texas antebellum sugar/cotton plantation or to work on a massive late prehistoric Rangia shell midden. Along with archeological operations and training provided to novices, there was the usual fun and antics among the crews.

The two "Clute sisters" (i.e. Andie Comini and Brenda Whorten) made their zany debut at these field schools. Wearing outlandish wigs and costumes, they dropped into every work area at the field school bringing smiles from weary, heat-exhausted workers. And who could forget Andie Comini's motor home? It resembled a large Gateway computer box on wheels with accompanying long horns and braying trumpet?

The Long Road to the Starting Line

Long before field school could set up and excavations begin, however, there were months of preparations. Members of the Brazosport Archeological Society (BAS) and Houston Archeological Society (HAS) battled the elements and tropical critters to prepare the site. In an environment rich in heat, humidity, snakes, mosquitoes, and virulent poison ivy, these hardy crews cleared away vegetation and huge expanses of brick and rubble prior to the actual field school.

There were tactical hurdles as well: strings of meetings, planning sessions, debates, reevaluating, compromising and ultimately agreement among the major stakeholders of the proposed field schools. Each had a role and significant interest in the operations; each made a major contribution to the efforts. In addition to the TAS field school committee and BAS and HAS members, there were the Lake Jackson Historical Museum (owner of the LJSAL); the City of Lake Jackson (owner of the park where camping and programs were held); the Texas Historical Commission (administrator of LJSAL's archeology); Brazosport College (site of the 1994 archeological lab); and Brazosport Museum of Natural Science (site of the 1995 archeological lab and temporary repository for all the artifacts found at the LJSAL and Follet Lake site.

Last but not least among interested parties was the Dow Chemical Company (owner of the Follet Lake site, provider of funds for both years' major speakers, and, perhaps most importantly, the underwriter of each year's Porta-Potty expenditure!)

These stakeholders were singly and as a group presented with the most optimistic vision of what the two TAS field schools would look like. Buy-in by all stakeholders was essential if these field schools were to be successful. And, as was demonstrated by each stakeholder, their ardent support for the field schools went far beyond what was expected of them.

Learning Opportunities Unlimited

Both field schools provided the participants with opportunities to learn more about the two sites being investigated through presentations and demonstrations. In addition, prominent Texas ar-cheologists gave talks about work they performed on other sites in the region. To add to these learning experiences, a special presentation was given each year. In 1994, Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C., discussed his work in discover-ing and raising the sunken Union Ironclad, the USS Cairo.

At the following year's field school, ceramics expert George L. Miller led a workshop in historic ceramics. Known for his nineteenth-century ceramic cost indexing (an economic approach to interpreting ceramics from archeological sites), Miller attracted a number of people who registered for field school solely to be present at this workshop. Some drove from as far away as New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas to attend. Typically, his workshops are given on the East Coast, are much smaller, and thus more difficult to attend. The all-afternoon presentation was done "in the round" and is still touted by Miller as his largest ever workshop.

Kids and Divers Explore New Realms

Participants in the children's program maintained a strong presence during both field schools. Younger children worked on Building A, the storehouse. They exposed the double brick floors of this building and opened several smaller units adjacent to the building. These children also toured many county historical sites and museums and, on two occasions, somehow ended up at Surfside beach and the jetties. Older children with years of field experience were integrated into many of the adult crews. There were reservations at first about doing this, but it turned out to be a successful change in operations.

The work of the underwater archeology crews (which came to be known as the TAS Navy) attracted attention as well. Braving muck and a tangle of aquatic plants, Brenda Whorton and assistants surveyed the bottom of the oxbow lake to determine if it could have been smaller during the nineteenth century and used a magnetometer to look for anomalies. Their efforts paid off: they discovered the original road (now underwater) leading from the sugar mill to the other side of the lake where the slave quarters and other buildings were located.

Although the divers had been assured that there were no alligators present, the critters apparently returned soon after the TAS field school cleared out. The very day after field school ended, Joan Few learned that a 5-foot alligator was spotted in the lake!

To learn more about the Texas Archeological Society and how to participate in the annual field school held each June, visit their website at www.txarch.org/.