Pape-Dawson project archeologist Tyler Bassett stands over the ruins of a 19th century San Antonio home uncovered on the grounds of Fox Tech. Credit: Courtesy of SAISD

An excavation has unearthed several two-century-old structures not far from where the city and real-estate developer Weston Urban plan to build a new minor-league baseball stadium.

The structures were discovered during excavations around Fox Tech High School as part of the San Antonio Independent School District’s (SAISD) 2020 Bond Program, according to district officials. The 7,500-capacity baseball stadium for the San Antonio Missions team will be located in a former parking lot belonging to Fox Tech.

Part of SAISD’s $1.3 billion bond, passed in 2020, will fund improvements to athletic and fine art facilities at Fox Tech. However, before construction could get underway, SAISD had to first partner with the city and Pape-Dawson Engineers to conduct an archaeological review.​

The most significant discovery during the dig was the ruins of the San Pedro acequia system, SAISD Senior Executive Director of Capital Development and Construction Services Yvonne Little said in an Instagram reel announcing the find.

“The acequia system consisted of irrigation canals that brought water from spring to farms, homes and mills all the way back in the 1700s,” Little said. “This was an extraordinary discovery for us to uncover this part of San Antonio history.”

During the review, archeologists uncovered three significant finds in the campus parking lot, including the remnants of a home once belonging to Col. Samuel Galitzin Newton, who served as a San Antonio mayor in the 1800s. They also uncovered the foundation of a residential home in the school’s courtyard.

Little said the district plans to erect a plaque at the site of the archaeological finds commemorating the past.

An SAISD spokesperson told the Current in an emailed statement that the district has taken protective measures to preserve the structures and ensure construction won’t further damage them.

Last week, the San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission gave tentative approval for the ballpark project near Fox Tech, which also includes two apartment towers and a hotel. However, construction still can’t begin until the HDRC gives its final blessing, which will follow another review of the development.

If additional archeological finds are discovered during the stadium’s construction, the project could be paused altogether, per the Antiquities Code of Texas.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...