Res 2026-017 Approving the City of San Marcos Historic Preservation Plan

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CULTURAL RESOURCES The significance of cultural resources in the City of the San Marcos has been recognized since at least the 1930s, while modern professional investigations, including archaeological and architectural surveys, began in earnest in the 1970s after passage of the NHPA and NEPA. PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS Professional archaeological investigations in San Marcos span over five decades, beginning in the 1970s and continuing through present day. Of note, around 1975, what was then referred to as the Late Prehistoric period became known as the San Marcos Phase in Central Texas due to discoveries around the San Marcos River Watershed. Beginning in 1978, underwater archaeological excavations at Spring Lake, then owned by the Aquarena Amusement Park, uncovered Paleoindian artifacts and Ice Age megafauna remains, revealing over 13,000 years of human occupation in the region. In addition to pre -contact archaeological sites, numerous historic archaeological sites have been discovered in San Marcos during this period, either during regulatory compliance surveys or during field schools held by the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas State University's Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS). The latter was founded in 2000 and certified by THC as a Curatorial Facility, where over 100 archaeological collections are Held -in -Trust for the State of Texas. The Repatriation Database, an initiative of ProPublica, shows that Texas State University holds a total of 114 Native American remains, all of which Indigenous Peoples believe should be repatriated in an immediate and concerted effort. PREVIOUS ARCHITECTURAL SURVEYS While local historic districts and landmarks were designated, beginning in the 1970s, a citywide survey did not occur until the 1980s. Thereafter, San Marcos sponsored multiple historic resources surveys, documenting neighborhoods, districts, and individual landmarks illustrated in mapping in this chapter. From the first citywide inventory in 1983 to the 2019 My Historic SMTX survey, these studies have identified hundreds of resources, recommended new designations, and shaped the City's preservation priorities. The following pages provide detailed descriptions of these surveys. 00 _ l� Stone artifact recovered during the 2014 Spring Lake Archaeological Data Recovery Project (Courtesy of TXST CAS) PRESERVATION IN THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS 61