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HCAA General Meeting

Riverside Nature Center
150 Francisco Lemos, Kerrville

Saturday, May 17, 2025
Doors Open at 12:30 p.m.
Member Meeting at 1:00 p.m.

Followed by the Presentation
Free and open to the public!

By: Dr. Steve Tomka

Excavations of the Alamo
Long Barracks and Shrine

Dr. Tomka will present the results of the recent 18-month excavations by a team of archaeologists from Raba Kistner Inc. at the Alamo. The project, which was sponsored by the General Land Office and the Alamo Trust Inc., included archaeological investigations in and around the Long Barrack and the Alamo Shrine. In addition, the archival records associated with the mission were also consulted in detail to provide the basis for some of the interpretation following the fieldwork. Steve will review the new findings that came to light during the excavations and summarize the new interpretation derived from the Spanish archival records related to the mission's founding at its third and current site.

The Long Barrack is the oldest building on the Alamo historic site, dating back to 1724, when the site was originally Mission San Antonio de Valero.

Originally constructed as a two-story convento, this building served as the quarters and offices of the Spanish missionaries. During the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, many members of the Alamo's garrison withdrew into this building, where they made a last stand against Santa Anna's soldiers. Over the years, the building's limestone walls have undergone many changes.

About Dr. Steve Tomka:

Having been born in Transylvania, Romania, Dr. Tomka came to the States at 17 and began his studies in Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Missouri, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in 1980. While at Missouri, through his mentors, he was introduced to the archaeology of South America, where he eventually returned to complete his Ph.D. research working among llama-herders in the Bolivian Altiplano. He received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (yes, I know...) in 1994. Was hired at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas in San Antonio as a Research Assistant in 1996 and was asked to serve as the Interim- and later Director of the Center in 2001. He served in this role until the Spring of 2014, when he joined the Raba Kistner Environmental Inc. Team. He has worked as an archaeologist in the State of Texas for 30 years. He is currently working on a book detailing the history of the San Antonio Missions and their indigenous occupants.