Welcome to the Hill Country Archeological Association in Kerrville, Texas.
Who we are and what we do
The HCAA is a group of avocational and professional archeologists working together to study and preserve the Texas Hill Country’s prehistoric and historic heritage, and to educate the public about archeology.
The task of HCAA is to survey and record details about archeologically significant sites before they are lost, due to collecting, erosion, and the rapidly increasing development of the Texas Hill Country. To accomplish this, we cultivate public interest in the history and prehistory of this area.
Upcoming Events
CRYING WOMAN RANCH FIELDWORK
2023-2024 UPDATE
Riverside Nature Center
150 Francisco Lemos, Kerrville
Saturday, November 16th
Doors Open at 12:30 p.m.
Member Meeting at 1:00 p.m.
Followed by Presentation
Free and open to the public!
By: Mike McBride
10,000 Years of Ancient People in the Hill Country:
2023-2024 Excavations at Crying Woman Ranch (41KR754), Kerr County, Texas
Since the summer of 2018, the Hill Country Archeological Association (HCAA) has done continuous fieldwork investigations at Crying Woman Ranch (CWR), 41KR754, in western Kerr County, Texas. This presentation will review the past 2 years of HCAA’s work, including new flint artifacts recovered and new evidence of ancient Native American occupations at the site. This includes new evidence of earth oven cooking technology older than 9,000 years before the present day. These stone and dirt ovens, used for cooking wild bulb plants like Sotol and Agave, are possibly the first earth oven cooking facilities in central Texas. Adding cooked plants to the typical Hunter-Gatherer diet was the basis of the “Carbohydrate Revolution,” allowing ancient populations to grow rapidly and spread throughout Central and West Texas.
Also, several mysterious flint spear points and tools have been discovered that have rarely been reported in Texas archeology before. Our research to identify these artifacts has been like detective work on evidence over 9,000 years old.
Additionally, new trenching operations have shown evidence of occupations even older than our previously recorded dates of 10,000 years ago.
About Mike McBride:
A lifelong Texan, Mike dedicated over 45 years to pharmacy practice and management and retired in 2018. He was President of the Hill Country Archeological Association from 2017 to 2023. Previously, he was President and Board Chairman of the Dallas Archeological Society (now merged with NTAS) from 2000 to 2005. Mike is on the Board of Directors of the Gault School for Archaeological Research.
Mike has been the Principal Investigator for archaeological field projects in Dallas, Kerr, and Gillespie counties in Texas and is currently the Principal Investigator for HCAA’s Crying Woman Ranch Project in Kerr County, focusing on Paleoindian Period occupations at the site. His other current and prior work since 1984 centers around ancient Mesoamerican cultures in the Yucatan Peninsula, Central Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Currently, he is a co-developer with Dr. Jon Lohse of the Pine Ridge Preceramic Project in Northern Belize.
Mike lives near the beautiful Pedernales River in Fredericksburg, Texas, with his wife, Connie.
Mike presenting at TAS.
Corner Tang Knife for the Raffle.
HCAA members hard at work at Crying Woman Ranch.
HCAA News
A Review of HCAA Activities in 2023, Presented by the HCAA Board of Directors
The year 2023 brought much success and progress for the Hill Country Archeological Association. In pursuing HCAA's Education, Research, and Conservation mission, we were active on many fronts.
We have put together this review to inform everyone about many of our interesting and exciting successes this year. We hope you enjoy our report. Click here or on the image on the right to open and download the report (PDF format).
As always, we welcome your feedback at [email protected].
