From 1984 to 1987, a series of survey, testing, and excavation projects was undertaken by the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (SDHPT, now the Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT) at site 41TV875, the Rubin Hancock farmstead in Travis County. In 1998, TxDOT contracted with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., to complete the analysis, report production, and curation requirements for the mitigation work on both the prehistoric and historic components of the site. The results of the prehistoric investigations are reported in a separate volume (Gadus et al. 2000). This volume details the history and archeology related to occupation of 41TV875 by the African American Hancock family from ca. 1880 to 1916. All previous investigations by SDHPT are discussed in detail. Using previous and current research, a thorough history of the Hancock family is presented. Rubin and his wife, Elizabeth, as well as many of their family members, had been slaves of the prominent Austin judge, John Hancock. Upon emancipation, Rubin and his three brothers along with their families became landowning farmers in the area north of Austin, which eventually developed into the small African American community of Duval. This historical research has been linked to the archeological features and material culture to develop an understanding of rural African American lifeways in central Texas at the turn of the century. This analysis has been compared and contrasted with research done at several other localities, including the adjacent Anglo American community of Waters Park, the African American community of Friendship in Delta County, and the farm owned by African American Ned Peterson in Brazos County. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A variety of people worked in cooperation to bring this project to a successful completion. At the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Nancy Kenmotsu provided general oversight for completion of reports on both the historic and prehistoric components at 41TV875. Diane Dismukes at TxDOT managed the historic portion of the project and provided useful comments on the draft report. All original survey, testing, excavation, archival research and informant interviews done by TxDOT were undertaken or supervised by John W. Clark Jr. His tireless efforts on behalf of the Rubin Hancock site have preserved an important page in Texas history. The TxDOT excavation crew withstood a sweltering Texas summer and inundation by fire ants to work at 41TV875. During the two months of fieldwork, crew members included Gregory Hunter,
