Looking Back at the CVAS
by Larry Riemenschneider
Fort Concho Post Hospital Cistern
One of the largest projects undertaken by the CVAS in the late 1980’s was the excavation of the water cisterns located next to the Post Hospital at Fort Concho. Fourteen week-ends were devoted to the project. A total of 1,938 man hours were devoted to excavations, and 1,617 man hours to labeling the 45,080 artifacts recovered.
History of the Cisterns
In January 1868, with the arrival of Dr. William Monroe Notson, construction was just beginning at the post. During this period the post was known as Camp Hatch and troops were quartered in tents on the banks of the Concho River just south of the soon-to-be constructed Post Hospital. The Hospital was the third structure built on the post. In June of 1869, the construction of the hospital was completed.
The health of the soldiers on the post was the prime concern of the post surgeons. One year after his arrival, Dr. Notson reported that a cistern was being built at the post hospital to catch rainwater from the roof for drinking purposes. One month later it was reported that work was nearing completion of the cistern but work had been slowed due to the need for blasting through rock. In February 1869, there were orders from higher headquarters to cease building at the post and, during this time, the construction of the cistern was halted.
The subject of the hospital cisterns was again raised in September 1870 by Dr. Notson. One month later Notson reports that typhoid was prevalent among the troops and that water barrels had been partially filled with hay and had been burned to clean them out and store water. Continuing his campaign for pure water, Notson reported that, between May and October of 1870, 792 illnesses (diarrhea, dysentery, dyspepsia, typhoid) were directly attributable to the lack of good drinking water. Notson considered the supply of sufficient, wholesome water an urgent sanitary question and stated that the Concho River was so impregnated with putrefying animal matter that both smell and taste were offensive.
In 1872 Dr. Buchanan reported many illnesses due to the lack of good drinking water. In October, 1872, Buchanan reported that the hole for the cistern had been dug (12X16X12 feet), but must be deepened.
The hospital cisterns were completed in the summer of 1873, four and a half years after construction began. In December 1874, it was noted that tin gutters were placed on the roof of the hospital and the system was ready for water. After filling with water, the cistern was found to leak. The water was pumped out and the cistern was re-cemented. After this initial problem, rain filled the cisterns and, after five and a half years, the cisterns worked. Dr. Buchanan reported officers were in the habit of sending someone to the cisterns for water.[1]
[1] Fort Concho Post Returns Fort Concho Historical Landmark Library San Angelo, Texas
Finding the Post Hospital Foundation and Cisterns
On June 20, 1889, the last troops marched out of Fort Concho and ended an Army occupation dating back to 1867. The land and buildings reverted to civilian owners and thus began a long period marked by neglect and abandonment. The Post Hospital, the largest fort structure, served in many capacities after the fort closed. In 1911 the building was being used for hay storage and during a storm, lightning ignited the hay and the building caught fire and burned. All except the stone walls and chimney were consumed. The structure was damaged beyond repair and later, in 1929, was razed.[1]
In 1980, a masterplan by the city of San Angelo for the development of Fort Concho included the rebuilding of the post hospital. In 1985, in anticipation of reconstruction, an archeological investigation of the area where the hospital once stood was undertaken. At that time, no evidence of the hospital was present, as a warehouse structure with a storage yard had been built over the site.[2] This proved to be the saving grace for the hospital foundation. The company that acquired the property did not take time to remove the foundation stones and paved right over them; thus, leaving them in place for future generations to find and rebuild on top of them. How lucky can you get?
As the archeological investigations began, excavations exposed only limited parts of the foundation and it was not always where it was expected to be. The cisterns were accidently found when the crew was working in an area where they thought the kitchen hospital was located. Already confused by finding foundations that were not matching the building plans, they began working in the rear area of the hospital were limestone rock had been exposed at the surface. A domed area of dressed rock was observed and, when they were cleaning it up, one of the crew members lost his trowel down a deep hole. After further investigations, it was determined that this was one of the cisterns for the hospital.[3]
[1] Fort Concho: The Lost Years, 1889-1930 Patricia E. Lamkin Fort Concho Report Winter 1988-Spring 1989
[2] Fort Concho National Historic Landmark San Angelo, Texas A Masterplan for Development
Bell Klein & Hoffman October 1980
[3] The Excavation of the Fort Concho Post Hospital J.A. Jaquier Fort Concho Report Fall 1986
Rear view of Post Hospital with location of cisterns next to kitchen area.
Excavated post hospital, kitchen and exposed cisterns.
Excavations of the Post Hospital Cisterns
In February of 1988, the Concho Valley Archeological Society began excavations of the hospital cisterns located east of the post hospital and north of the hospital kitchen. During the next fourteen week-ends, members devoted many hours to the excavation project.
The first step in the excavation of the cisterns involved a decision as to how the cisterns would be excavated. With no plan drawings available on their construction, it became a guessing game as to what was below the surface. Looking through the two by two foot opening in each cistern, dirt could be seen within a foot of the top. Safety was a big concern—should the rocks on top that enclosed the cistern be removed before work begins? After further assessment it was determined that the cistern was constructed with a domed ceiling and each of the rocks were placed in a way that one would support the other; thus keeping them from falling in. From this point on, it was a matter of getting to work and only guessing what lay beneath in the cistern.
An “A” frame was set up over the opening of each cistern. Attached to the frame was a block and tackle which was used to pull rocks and buckets of excavated matrix to the surface. The matrix was then water screened through 1/4 and 1/8 inch screens. The matrix was excavated in twenty centimeter levels.
Upon completion of the excavations, the cisterns were washed down inside, and the water pumped out. An interesting event happened on the last week-end after the project was completed. We came to the site anticipating finishing what needed to be done and then closing the openings of the cisterns. As we went down that day, to inspect and make some final drawings, our hearts sank at what we saw. Someone had rolled some of the big rocks that were removed during excavations back into one of the cisterns. Needless to say our work was not complete. After the rocks were hauled back to the surface and final measurements were taken the openings were capped with concrete were they remain covered today.
Results from Archeological Excavations of the Cisterns
During the years of their construction, the cisterns were mentioned several times; however, there were no plan drawings available to show how they were constructed. Also mentioned was a charcoal system that was used to help purify the water for drinking, but there was no information detailing the type of charcoal system.
Upon the completion of the excavations it was determined that there was one cistern that was divided into two chambers; thus in the writing of this report I refer to the “cisterns” as being the two side by side components of the cistern and the “cistern” as the complete unit. So to avoid confusion there was one cistern that had two chambers which are referred to as cisterns.
During the excavation of the cistern, both chambers were excavated at the same time. At the completion of the project, it became evident why there were two separate chambers instead of one large chamber. The bottom of the wall between the two chambers contained portholes that allowed water to pass from one chamber to the other. The floor of the first chamber was stair-stepped so water would drain to the other chamber. Gravel and charcoal were placed within the stair-steps; thus, any water flowing through the layer and into the other chamber through the portholes would be purified. Water could then be pumped out of the second chamber and utilized. This was a very simple system, but it worked.
The cisterns remained open over the years after the fort was abandoned. During this time they became the dumping ground for any trash from local residents. Artifacts found within the cisterns included many rocks from the post hospital and 45,080 artifacts from circa 1920. Within the artifacts recovered the smallest artifact was a straight pin and the largest a baby carriage. 1,560 pounds of rusted metal was recovered which left its impression on the cistern by the rusty colored ring on the walls.
Lab Work Documenting Artifacts
Upon completion of the excavations, 1,617 hours were devoted to labbing the 45,080 artifacts recovered. This process involved cleaning, identifying, and the cataloging of each artifact. Artifacts recovered included the following categories: household items, personal items, clothing and ornaments, sewing, toys and entertainment, writing, food and beverage, transportation, construction, hardware and miscellaneous metal and other miscellaneous items.
After glass and ceramic artifacts were identified they were sorted and placed on tables with other similar artifacts. Lab workers would then sit at the different tables and re-assemble artifacts that broke apart when thrown into the cisterns. Many artifacts were reconstructed.
Upon completion of the lab process all cataloged artifacts were bagged and placed in the Fort Concho Special Collections Building where they remain.
A Fire Pit in Sterling County, Texas
In the fall of 1990, members of the Concho Valley Archeological Society (CVAS) conducted an archeological survey on a ranch in northeastern Sterling County, Texas. To reach the main ranch road each day, the survey crew travelled a pipeline road that crossed a creek. One afternoon, after crossing the creek, crew members noted a feature consisting of fire-cracked rocks and charcoal eroding from the edge of an erosional cut made by the pipeline road. During the following year, the landowner monitored the exposed feature. Due to the severe erosional disturbance taking place—in the form of gullying along the pipeline road—it was evident that the feature would soon be destroyed. The landowner reported the deteriorating condition of the feature to the CVAS and suggested that an archeological investigation be conducted.
Archeological work conducted in October of 1991 by the CVAS, under the direction of J.A. Jaquier, consisted of excavation of a 2 x 2 meter unit that included the entire feature. The feature, visible from the surface as an oval-shaped concentration of fire-cracked rock, measured 1.40 x 1.52 meters in plan view and was found to have a central depth of 52 cm. The matrix in the feature consisted of several layers of limestone rocks and charcoal in a basin shaped pit that had been excavated down through a reddish brown silty clay loam. Most of the stones were cracked or split from thermal alteration.
The C-14 date from the feature placed the time of its use within the late 18th or early 19th centuries—a time when Apache and Comanche Indians were dominant in this area of the state. Since little published data was available from sites of this late time period, especially in this area of the state, the Office of the State Archeologist suggested further work at the site in an effort to clarify cultural affiliation of the feature.
In September and October of 1993, archeological investigations continued at 41ST80 under the direction of Larry Riemenschneider. Six 1 x 1 meter units located adjacent to and south of the 1991 unit were excavated. The excavation contained a large amount of lithic material; however, failed to secure diagnostic material that could shed light on the identity of the cultural group that used the feature.
The data generated from the 1991 and 1993 excavations at 41ST80 could not conclusively determine the cultural affinity of the group that constructed and used the stone pit feature. Surface inspections and limited sub-surface excavations adjacent to the feature also failed to yield evidence that would associate the feature to the cultural time period indicated by the C-14 dates. A scarcity or absence of vegetative and animal residues in the matrix of the feature suggest that, if the feature was used for food preparation the food might have been cooked on the surface. The ethno-historic account of F.M. Buckelew, a captive for many years among the Lipan Apaches, describes a type of earthen oven that may be similar to the fire pit feature at 41ST80. The Apaches dug a large circular hole 3 or 4 feet deep and several feet in diameter. They then placed a large pile of wood and rocks into the hole and lit the wood. The rocks became thoroughly heated by the time the wood was consumed. Food to be cooked was then placed on top of the pile of heated rock. Brush and leaves were then placed next to the food, and then the entire heap was covered with dirt to make it airtight. The heap remained covered for several days, during which the heat from the rocks thoroughly cooked the food.
If the feature at 41ST80 is an earthen oven as described by Buckelew, it would explain why the stones were still in place within the pit, rather than having been removed in order to access food buried within the pit—as seems to be the case with regard to ring middens of West Texas. Without traces of food remains in the feature, the function of the feature cannot be fully determined; however, evidence collected from the excavations of similar feature in nearby Coke County and the account of F.W. Buckelew support the theory that the feature may have been used as an earth oven for the preparation of food.
Reference: The Cache Collected Papers in Texas Archeology Volume 2 1994—Office of the State Archeologist—Texas Historical Commission
A Fire Pit in Sterling County, Texas Larry Riemenschneider
