From Prehistoric to Counter-Culture: An Archaeological Survey of Peaceable Kingdom Farm, Washington County, Texas

Peaceable Kingdom Farm (PKF) is a 250-acre private property situated within the Brazos River drainage basin in Washington County, Texas. Located approximately 4 miles from Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, this property has experienced a broad and colorful history, which includes ownership by an Original 300 colonist, an African-American community, and a 1970s school for self-sufficient living. In the summer of 2012 the Texas Tech Field School launched an archaeological survey to identify, document, and evaluate the integrity of all historic and prehistoric sites. A model was created with the aid of historical county and highway maps, oral histories, soil survey reports, and topographical data to identify high probability areas within the PKF property. Survey methods include pedestrian survey, shovel testing, and metal detection. Investigations identified five new archaeological sites and revisited three previously recorded sites. Of the eight sites located on PKF, two are prehistoric sites and six are historic sites. One of the prehistoric sites dates to the Late Prehistoric, while the other is of an unknown date. Of the six historic sites, two dates to the plantation period of the 1800s, and four date to the African-American community that existed from the late 19th to the early 20th century. This thesis summarizes the results of the 2012 survey by analyzing site and artifact data, and makes site evaluations based on these findings.