Historic Dallas, Volume 12, Number 2, April-May 1988 Page: 3 of 8
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Historic Dallas April-May 1988 Page 3
Dig Yields Finds
by Stacey SoperThe first archaeological excavation
of the original townsite of Dallas has
recently been completed. Conducted by
researchers from SMU's Institute for
the Study of Earth and Man, the
excavation site was located on the north
side of the Dallas County Administra-
tion Building (formerly the Texas
School Book Depository Building).
Numerous discoveries were made
during the dig and are especially notable
because they were left behind by Dallas'
first generation of European-American
and African-American residents. These
residents included several laborers, a
domestic servant, a waiter, a hide
dealer, a laundress, and the city's only
barrel maker.
In addition, Lindalyn Adams, Dallas
County Historical Foundation Presi-
dent, stated that "this area is importantThe brick-lined well was dismantled
brick-by-brick...historically not only because it is the
site of the Kennedy assassination, but
also because the city of Dallas began
here."
Artifacts that the SMU archaeolo-
gists have uncovered include:
" Plowing scars dating from before
1855, possibly from John Neely Bryan's
first corn field.
" The oldest intact water well in the
original townsite of Dallas, constructed
before 1865 and abandoned in 1882.
* Yardscapes that contain household
refuse, food remains, personal items and
architectural debris dating from the
1850s to 1882.
" Examples of Denton County stone-
ware pottery manufactured in the
1850s.
" Debris from a stone-cutting works
that may be connected to the construc-
. -...then each brick was bagged and coded
so that the well can be reassembled for
display in the future.Looking like a bit of National Geographic right in our own backyard, the dig beside
the Dallas County Administration Building yielded fascinating insights into life in
early Dallas.
tion of the "Old Red" courthouse.
" Household refuse and debris from
the 1856-60 residence of Maximilian
Guillot, owner of Dallas' first carriage
factory.
" Two prehistoric archaeological
horizons containing arrowheads, stone
tools, burned animal bones and bison
remains dating from at least 2000 B.C. ;' * ;x
" Thousands of artifacts ranging
from prehistoric projectile points to 19th
century coins.Dallas County Historical
Commission Newsby Betty Agee
The Dallas County Historical Com-
mission has been honored by the Texas
Historical Commission with four
awards for the DCHC's work in 1987.
Competing against commissions in
Texas cities with a population of over
400,000, the commission won Best
County Historical Commission
Newsletter (for The County Chronicle),
Outstanding County Historical
Commission Chairman (Betty Agee)
and Outstanding Member of a
County Historical Commission
(Donald Payton).
In addition, the commission has been
honored as a Distinguished Service
Award county based on documentation
submitted in four subject areas: County
Courthouses (compiled by Tom Jones),
Hispanic Folk Culture in Dallas County
(researched and compiled by Frances
James), Jewish Folk Culture in Dallas
County (compiled by Barbara Ward) and
County Historical Commission Struc-
ture (compiled by Betty Agee). The
awards will be presented at the Texas
Historical Commission's Annual Pres-
ervation Conference on April 21-23 in
Brownsville.
Official Texas Historical Markers
being dedicated in April and May
include:
April 15, 1:00 p.m.-Higginbotham-Pearlstone Building, 1701 Market St.
Rita Clements, wife of Gov. Wm. P.
Clements, Jr., will be the guest of
honor.
May 6, 2:00 p.m.-City of Dallas, City
Hall Plaza, 1500 Marilla St. Mayor
Annette Strauss will accept the.
marker.
May 15, 1-3 p.m.-Four grave markers
dedicated at the Third Annual Ceme-
tery Picnic: Juliette Abby Peak Fowler,
Barton W. Stone, Nicholas H. Darnell
and J.K.P. Record. Special recogni-
tion will be given to the donors who
so generously sponsored these
markers.
Once again this year, the DCHC
will celebrate Preservation Week by
opening the John Neely Bryan Cabin
to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. Monday, May 9, through Friday,
May 13. The cabin is located in the
Dallas County Historical Plaza, 600
block of Elm St., and everyone is
welcome. The commission's new
publication, A Guide for Seeing Dallas
County History, will be for sale, as
will acroterions, book-end-size repli-
cas of the wyverns sitting atop the
Old Red Courthouse. Both items are
also available year-round at the
Historical Commission office in Old
Red, 653-6238.Archaeologist David Jurney holds a
cleated shoe for a work animal, which
was found in the excavation in downtown
Dallas.
The discoveries were made not with-
out a great deal of planning. Prior to
beginning the project, the archaeolo-
gists conducted several studies for the
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority
(DART) regarding downtown rail align-
ments. Research Program Director
Randy Moir and his staff studied 60
downtown blocks and decided that three
blocks provided overwhelming archaeo-
logical potential. This was the area
where the excavation was begun.
The staff's research revealed the
following: surveyor J.P. Dumas laid out
the original townsite plat for Dallas in
1844; John Neely Bryan possibly plowed
the area between 1844-49; by 1851 the
area's first known occupants had moved
to the excavation area; and by 1856 theArchaeologist Randy Moir points out the
various layers of habitation revealed by
the dig.
area had been subdivided into various
yardscapes.
The neighborhood, which is located
within two blocks of the Trinity River's
course during the 19th century, has also
yielded evidence of Native American
Indian occupation of the townsite
extending back at least 4,000 years.
Excavation was completed on March
1, although the archaeologists will
continue to analyze their findings for
approximately nine months. Eventu-
ally, the artifacts will be displayed in
the John F. Kennedy Exhibit Visitors'
Center on the sixth floor of the Dallas
County Administration Building.
The dig site will become the location
of the elevator tower for the sixth-floor
display. Completion of the tower is set
for late 1988. Funding for the excavation
was provided by the Dallas County
Commissioners Court as part of its
$2,000,000 commitment to the Histor-
ical Foundation to build the Visitors'
Center and elevator tower.Landscaping Services Provided
For The F.A. Brown Farmstead.
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Dallas Historic Preservation League. Historic Dallas, Volume 12, Number 2, April-May 1988, periodical, April 1988; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth887991/m1/3/: accessed July 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Preservation Dallas.