"You wouldn't think that rusty nails and pop-tops would generate a lot of excitement, but you'd be wrong!" That line comes from the Houston Archeological Society's December 2022 newsletter. It describes a November Saturday at Kleb Woods Nature Preserve on Draper Road in Tomball, where volunteers kept two excavation units open all day and children under ten made up about half the crowd.
That dig comes back on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Harris County Precinct 4 lists the Archeology Festival at Kleb Woods as a free event, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a real dig run with the Texas Archeological Society, keepsake forging, tours of the 1896 Kleb house, and old-fashioned games. The site being dug is a German-Texan family farm that never became a subdivision, and everything in the screens comes from that farm.
A Farm That Stayed a Farm
The Harris County Historical Commission's marker record dates the Kleb Family Home to around the 1890s. Edward Kleb built it on land he got from his father, Andrew. The family descended from German immigrants who arrived in Texas in 1846. The marker says the house and its setting in the wooded northwest part of the county "represent a time of dispersed rural settlement in the area."
Edward's son, Elmer "Lumpy" Kleb, was born in the house in 1907 and inherited the property in 1967. According to the marker, he planted many of the trees in the area, cared for wildlife, and often nursed injured birds. He wanted to donate the land to the Audubon Society.
By the 1980s the property had grown much more valuable, and its future drew national attention. County officials, charities, and other groups worked to keep the habitat intact. In 1991 a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant let Harris County buy the land and create Kleb Woods Nature Preserve. Restoration of the house came later, and the marker describes it as a vernacular hall-and-parlor home with side gables. It became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2006.
The marker sums it up as "a wildlife refuge in a rapidly urbanizing area." Anyone who has driven Draper Road lately knows how true that still is.
What the Ground Has Given Up So Far
Kleb Woods is an active archaeological site with years of records behind it. The Houston Archeological Society describes a public-archeology project there with Raba Kistner Environmental and the preserve staff. It combines non-invasive survey with excavation to document the property and teach archaeology at the same time.
The society's Kleb Woods bulletins show how slow and detailed the work is:
- August 2017: Volunteers mapped foundations and other features with GPS. They recorded a watering trough, rusting windmill parts, and a concrete feature.
- October 2017: A public training day covered laying out and digging units. The goal was to study the foundations of early buildings and other structures on the farm.
- November 2022: The "Eleventh Annual Digging Old Stuff" event registered 226 attendees, 111 adults and 115 children. Volunteers counted 190-plus at their tables and units, with a steady stream from 8:45 a.m. to about 3:15 p.m.
So the November dig has more than a decade of history behind it, and every year it works the same homestead. A watering trough, windmill parts, and nails are what a working farm leaves behind. Children who sift a screen at Kleb Woods are handling the leftovers of one family's daily work on this land.
Past festivals had more than the dig. The 2022 report lists a button-and-string spinner, a punched-metal trinket kids made and kept, and demonstrations by blacksmith Dave Koenig. The 2026 listing's "forge your own keepsake" follows that tradition. Past digs were run with the Houston Archeological Society. This year's Precinct 4 listing names the Texas Archeological Society as the dig partner.
Saturday, Nov. 7, Step by Step
The festival runs five hours. Here's a sensible order for the day:
- Register ahead. The Precinct 4 activity page offers free express enrollment, which opened Oct. 1. The listing doesn't say whether every visitor needs to register or only the diggers. If you're unsure, email [email protected] or call 281-357-5324.
- Go to the dig first if you have a child 7 or older. Diggers must be at least 7. In 2022 the units stayed busy all day, so arriving near the 9 a.m. start gives you the most room.
- Tour the house next. After seeing the debris, walking through the hall-and-parlor house where Elmer was born shows you where it came from.
- Forge the keepsake and play the games while younger siblings take their turn. Everything is listed as free.
- Head into Tomball after 2 p.m. Sno Angels SNO Balls opened Oct. 17 at 525 W. Main St. Community Impact reports it serves New Orleans-style shaved ice in more than 50 flavors and has a drive-through.
The event listing has no parking instructions. The county's Kleb Woods park map shows where the parking areas are.
The Preserve After the Festival Packs Up
The 1991 purchase saved more than a dig site. It saved 133.5 acres. The Precinct 4 park page lists 3.86 miles of trail, wetlands, picnic space, a pavilion, Scout camping, and wildlife viewing. Dogs are not allowed.
These are the named trail segments and lengths on the county's 2023 map:
| Trail | Length |
|---|---|
| Moccasin Marsh | 0.725 miles |
| West Line Trail | 0.466 miles |
| Farm Trail | 0.289 miles |
| Picnic Loop | 0.266 miles |
| Draper Path | 0.153 miles |
| Entry Path | 0.142 miles |
The map also shows a Wetland Trail and a Live Oak Trail. Farm Trail is the one to walk after the festival, since it keeps you close to the homestead story.
The park page gives preserve hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It's closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 24 and 25, and Jan. 1. The Nature Center and farmhouses are open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 2023 map lists the hours as 7 a.m. to dusk, so call ahead before planning an evening walk.
The Rest of November on Draper Road
The festival opens a full month of programs. The Kleb Woods nature center offers nature and history classes, birding bus trips, a history discussion group, weekly bird walks, farm tours by request, and volunteer shifts. The November listings on the Precinct 4 activity search include:
- Nov. 6: Little Explorers' Nature Tales
- Nov. 7: First Saturday Bird Walk, the same morning as the festival
- Nov. 10, 17 and 24: Tuesday Volunteering
- Nov. 11: Weekly Bird Walk
- Nov. 12: History Discussion Group, then Kleb Night Out: Night Hike
- Nov. 14: Nature Yoga
- Nov. 19: A Closer Look at Nature: Turkeys
- Nov. 20: Senior Birding Trip
- Nov. 21: Crafting History: Cloisonné, plus a Live Bluegrass Music Session
Check the activity search for times and sign-up details. Several of these programs use the same free registration system as the festival.
The Kleb family held this ground for most of a century before it became a public preserve. At Coldwell Banker Properties Unlimited, we work with families across Waller and northwest Harris County who are deciding what comes next for land they've held a long time. If that's a conversation your family is having, start with a clear picture of what your land is worth. Get a Free Property Valuation.
