Documenting the dig

Beneath the floors this house , so we can answer the questions of how old is it really and can we tie this to the early Camp Stockton ?”

The transformation from myth to mythbusting didn ’ t happen overnight . The person most responsible for it is Ross Harper , the director of the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum and Historic Fort Stockton . Though he typically shies away from the limelight , he has a knack for turning ideas into reality . And it was his diligence – the constant phone calls , the persuasive pitches – that ultimately brought the team from Texas Tech down to the Trans-Pecos to set up shop in October .

First to the scene was Alex Hernandez . After earning a bachelor ’ s degree in history ( minoring in military history ), he went on to become a graduate student in anthropology at Texas Tech specializing in historic era sociology . He kicked off the archaeological research for his master ’ s thesis on the Oldest House . The rest of the team soon followed him to Fort Stockton to sift through the caliche and to discover the area ’ s secrets .

“ We found part of an old wooden floor ,” revealed Walter . “ We were surprised to find parts of that intact wooden floor just outside of a structure . I think the wood floor came later ; I believe this originally would have had a dirt floor that was packed down . We ’ ve recorded that layer , and so far , we ’ re finding evidence of what we think was the most recent occupation . We ’ re excited to investigate beneath this floor , because that ’ s where we hope to find information about the military occupation or the settler — if this was indeed his house .”

But archeology – almost by definition – moves slow . It will take some time for the team to discover how old the Oldest House is : The archeologists discovered quite a few artifacts but have since left to clean them up and analyze their import . They are expected to come back for a few more digs .

Until then , the Oldest House has earned the right to retain its title , however tenuous it may be . If it proves untrue , we should take comfort in the idea that the archeologists are on the verge of new discoveries . If not , there ’ s always Paisano Pete . �

Cenizo