Excavations at the Frost Town Site, Houston, Texas

TxDOT will soon be replacing the Elysian Viaduct, the 1.5-mile overpass connecting the Near Northside community to downtown Houston.  The Viaduct was originally constructed between 1954 and 1957, and now need to be replaced after nearly six decades of wear and tear.  Rather than exhibiting an elevated design like the current Viaduct, the new structure will be constructed at grade.  A portion of the Viaduct, located just south of Buffalo Bayou and a few blocks north of Minute Maid Park, passes directly over the archeological remains of historic Frost Town, Houston’s first subdivision. Archeological deposits at Frost Town date as early as the 1830’s, and will be unavoidably impacted by the at-grade design of the new structure.  For this reason, TxDOT recently initiated large-scale archeological excavations at the site.  Archeologists hope to learn important new information about this early period in the city’s history, preserving that heritage for future generations.  

Dr. Jason Barrett, Archeologist, TxDOT

History of the Frost Town Area

Archeological Investigations at Frost Town

Houston Archeological Society Volunteer Screening Project

November 2018 Newsletter Article (Full Version)

 

Note: You can click on any of the photos to see an enlarged version.

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about this project contact the President: president@txhas.org