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
HCAA General Meeting
Riverside Nature Center
150 Francisco Lemos, Kerrville
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Doors Open at 12:30 p.m.
Member Meeting at 1:00 p.m.
Followed by Presentation
Free and open to the public!
By: Marybeth Tomka
What happens after the dirt:
The continuing lifecycle of artifacts and records in a repository.
The presentation will discuss the forgotten parts of archeology. It will focus on the state of collections “curated” many years ago, how the standards have changed, and why so many of our collections need to be rehabilitated to be accessible. The takeaway will be how the storage conditions of the documentation and artifacts affect the collection’s usefulness for research years down the line, with an emphasis on tracking what happened in between.
About Marybeth Tomka: Marybeth has a bachelor’s and master’s in Anthropology-Archaeology from UT-Austin. Originally from New York, she has lived in Central Texas for 47 years. She has worked with state agencies, CRM firms, and the UT system as a lab director, project manager, and curator of collections. In 2012, she received her Professional Certification in Collections Management from the University of Victoria in Canada. Although she has done both fieldwork and lab work/curatorial duties, having a family and a spouse also doing archaeology, doing curatorial work has been the highlight of her career. She retired from UT Austin – TARL in 2022 and formed Argyle Archaeological Services to do curatorial consulting and training. She is currently subcontracting on several projects and doing some repatriation consulting.
Marybeth has been active in the Texas Archeological Society for the last 40-plus years as an officer, a committee chair, a ceramics academy instructor, and a committee member, receiving a President’s Award and a Distinguished Service Award for her service. She is also active in the Council of Texas Archeologists, serving as Newsletter editor, committee chair, and committee member since 1982. She has also been an active committee member in the national organizations of the Society for American Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology, and most recently, the American Cultural Resources Association, which has appointed her to the Archaeological Collections Consortium as one of their representatives for this collections’ advocacy group.
Finally, she loves teaching small groups about her passion for best practices in collections care and management.
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].
