Investigations of Artifacts Recovered From the San Antonio Arsenal Site (41BX622)

In 1985, a number of unique artifacts were located beneath the flooring of the Arsenal Magazine Building. After submission to the State Historical Preservation officer, it was agreed that the sampling of artifacts which had been removed, should be stabilized and identified. This information, with the historical background of the objects, was to be presented in a written report to the H.E.B. Company by the author. The artifacts, with several exceptions, were found to date from the mid-nineteenth century through the period of the American Civil War. As may be expected with an arsenal, many of the artifacts were associated with military accouterments or the ordinance industry. Several of these artifacts are highly important, as they may represent hither to unknown specimens produced at the San Antonio Arsenal under Confederate occupation. As this is a period in which we have little information concerning the Arsenal’s activities, it is recommended that further investigations be undertaken of the balance of the area beneath the Magazine floor, and additional artifacts encountered be retrieved and properly identified. If you have a digital copy of the document and would like to have it curated in tDAR, please contact us at comments@tdar.org.