Like all communities, San Antonio has its own history, with unique traditions and resources that tend to flavor local character. These qualities allow us to identify with our homes and give us a sense of belonging and community pride. The identification and consideration of cultural resources during the environmental analysis of a transportation project helps to balance a community's progress with the preservation of its history. Cultural resources include:
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San Juan Mission, San Antonio. Photo from National Park Service.
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- Archeological Resources
- Historic Resources
- Native American Graves and Cultural Items
- Traditionally Significant Places
- Museum Collections
- Historical Documents
- Religious Sites and Practices
- Folklife, Tradition, and other Social Institutions
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 protects important historical buildings, structures, sites and objects. It created an inventory called the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) to keep track of cultural resources that are important on a national, state, and/or local level. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency (State Historic Preservation Office) charged with identifying and preserving Texas' cultural resources. Section 106 of the NHPA applies to any project taking place on federal land, or that is federally-funded or permitted. Under this law, federal agencies are required to consider the effects of their actions on cultural resources that are included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the NRHP. A cultural resource is "eligible" if it is 50 years of age (with exceptions) or older; possesses integrity of location, materials, design, workmanship, setting, feeling, and association; and, (a) is associated with significant historic events; (b) is associated with significant persons in the past; (c) is architecturally significant; and/or, (d) has yielded, or may yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Federally funded transportation projects are also required to comply with Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, which specifies that federal agencies cannot approve the use of land from any historic site of national status or local significance unless there is no prudent and feasible alternative to using that land, and the action includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the historic site resulting from the use.
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Data Collection Excavations in 1979 at the Pavo Real site in northwest San Antonio. Loop 1604 is under construction in the background and the archeological site lies directly in the route of the highway expansion. Photo from www.TexasBeyondHistory.net.
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In the EIS process, cultural resources are first identified by specialists and then assessed for NRHP eligibility and project impacts. The findings are coordinated for eligibility and effects through the THC, and published in the Final EIS. If adverse effects to any historic or archeological sites included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the NRHP, are identified, then provisions of Section 4(f) would apply. Measures to minimize harm to historic sites include avoiding the site, data collection, and/or documenting the site with photos, measured drawings, oral histories, etc. Stay tuned for more information on cultural resources within the US 281 corridor in the Draft EIS.
