The March meeting of the Houston Archeological Society will take place on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will be held virtually only, via Zoom. A link to the meeting will be sent via email as we get closer to the date.

As our March speaker, we welcome Becky Shelton, Texas Historical Commission archeologist, who will be discussing the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN) and the dedicated volunteers who have assisted the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in bringing public archeology to life in their communities for over forty years. Shelton received her Master’s in Anthropology from the University of Texas, Arlington, in 2008. While completing her degree, she began working at AR Consultants, Inc., in Dallas, Texas as a Field Technician, then served as a Project Archeologist and Principal Investigator. Shelton conducted desktop evaluations, surveys, and testing for projects in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Before developing a passion for Texas archeology, her background in fine art, art conservation, and collections management fostered an interest in Maya ceramics. From 2009-2013, she participated as the Lab Director/Ceramicist for the Caves Branch Archaeological Project Field School in Belize, teaching artifact identification and analysis.

Since 2014, Shelton has served as a regional archeologist for North-Central and Northeast Texas with the Texas Historical Commission Archeology Division. She provides technical reviews on state and federal development projects related to the Antiquities Code of Texas and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Within the Archeology Division, she works with landowners and consultants to preserve significant archeological sites, and assists with providing protective designation. In addition, she handles public inquiries and requests concerning archeological issues and coordinates with regional archeology societies. As part of public outreach, Shelton delivers presentations, writes articles and web content, provides updates to electronic media, and conducts onsite training. She also participates in archeological investigations, conducts site evaluations and analysis, and prepares reports on the results of these investigations.

Shelton serves as the Coordinator for the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN), the group of highly motivated avocational archeologists, including many HAS members, who assist the THC with the mission of the public archeology program. Within TASN, she manages membership, annual training and workshops, and coordinates with landowners and communities. The Archeology Division of THC is entrusted with the monumental task of maintaining a program dedicated to preserving and interpreting the vast archeological landscape of Texas. Thankfully, archeology is multidisciplinary by nature, and the various opportunities found in the stewardship network appeal to history buffs, cemetery guardians, museum docents, high school educators, master naturalists, and others. Initially, stewards assisted private landowners with identifying archeological sites and provided public outreach and education. However, as the program enters its forty-second year, the breadth of the TASN program has grown. A recent symposium at the Society for American Archeology highlighted the unique and successful collaborative nature of the TASN and provided a forum for discussion on how to grow volunteer networks in the twenty-first century. In Texas, as well as in other rapidly growing states, there continues to be huge need for landowner and community assistance, which usually outpaces our program’s ability to address everyone’s needs. To meet these increased requests, TASN will continue to collaborate with national and regional organizations, developing and strengthening the program through identification of other preservation partners. More information at Texas Archeological Stewardship Network.

We hope that you will join us via Zoom for this informative lecture. I look forward to seeing you online at the meeting or in the field at our various projects. For more information about this program or the Houston Archeological Society, please contact Bob Sewell at president@txhas.org.

HAS JOURNAL 144 NOW AVAILABLE

HAS Journal No. 144 is now available. The Journal Number 144 The articles will focus on the San Felipe de Austin Dig by John Lohse, Horseshoes in Texas, a Thimble from the 18th or 19th century from France found in Frosttown, and another article about Camp Kirby in Dickenson, TX, a civil war camp by Charly Gordy, ceramics from Cottonfield by Tim Perttula, and information from Mike Woods about a Butted Knife Found in Comal County. Complimentary copies may be obtained by HAS members at the monthly meetings. Non-HAS members may purchase copies through Amazon.com. Go to the HAS Journals Section for a link to the publication on the Amazon.com website. Alternatively, copies may be purchased at the HAS Monthly Meetings.

To learn more about the history behind our archeological society contact president@txhas.org.