Archeological Investigations at the Totten Key Complex – A Site with Possible Ties to the Sixteenth Century Spanish Mission at Tequesta

The Totten Key Complex (8DA3439) is located in southeast Florida in Biscayne National Park. Recent excavations by the National Park Service unearthed a surprising amount of early Spanish artifacts. The site represents approximately 900 years of Native American occupation from circa A.D. 750 to 1650. Native American ceramic fragments recovered at the site testify to trade connections throughout the state of Florida. Early Spanish artifacts may suggest direct ties with the Spanish mission at the nearby main village of Tequesta, which lasted from 1567 to early 1568. 

Understanding the prehistoric archaeology around Pensacola Bay is a work in progress. While the late prehistory of Pensacola Bay is usually described as being located at a cultural crossroads where the Pensacola culture and the Fort Walton culture overlap, new evidence suggests this interpretation is perhaps inadequate. In spite of decades of research in the region, we appear to be at the point where we have many more questions than answers. In this presentation, Dr. Ramie Gougeon (UWF) will highlight some of the questions being addressed through archaeological investigations on Pensacola Bay, some recent findings, and future directions. 

The Marion County region of northern central Florida was the location of three of the Timucuan chiefdoms - Ocale, Potano and Acuera - referred to in accounts of the Hernando de Soto entrada, as well as several seventeenth-century mission sites. Claims were made in the popular press in 2012 that the so-called "White Ranch Site", 8MR3538, in this region represented the early contact and mission-era site of Potano. Long-term research at the Hutto/Martin Site (8MR3447) and the Richardson Site (8AL100) has confirmed that these sites represent genuine early contact and mission sites, while archaeological study at the purported "White Ranch Site" revealed no precontact, early contact, or mission-era site ever existed there. The results of study at these and other sites will be presented, and avenues for future long-term research in this region discussed.

Commemorating the Past and Engaging the Mississippian Present: St. Johns II (AD 900-1250) life in Northeastern Florida

Over the past 15 years, the University of North Florida has tested a series of St. Johns II sites along the lower (northern) St. Johns River and on nearby Atlantic coastal islands. Of upmost importance has been our research at the Mill Cove Complex and the Grand Shell Ring.  Although contemporaneous, Mill Cove has yielded extensive evidence of participation in far-flung early Mississippian interaction networks, whereas Grand appears more insular. The occupants of Grand, however, constructed a large shell ring reminiscent of Late Archaic monuments, perhaps as a way to commemorate the ancient past. This presentation reviews our work at both sites. 

The people of Florida have put great emphasis on historic conservation and archaeological site preservation for the past century. Namely, efforts have been for the purpose of preserving common heritage and economic growth. However, as climate change and sea-level rise progress, many historic and archaeological sites in Florida are at great risk of being lost, damaged, or destroyed. Join me as we explore what we’ve learned and what we’ve earned as a result of past preservation efforts, and what we may lose if we do not prepare for the threat climate change presents. 

An Overview of Past Excavations, Interpretations, and Current Questions at 8LE120, Mission San Damian de Escambe

Mission San Damian de Escambe was founded in 1639 after the chief of the village of Escambe, also known as Cupaica, was baptized in St. Augustine. It was home to hundreds of families during the peak of the mission period in Apalachee territory. In 1704, this mission met the same fate as the rest of the missions of Florida when they were destroyed by forces marshaled by James Moore. B. Calvin Jones first identified the site in 1968 during a survey of proposed borrow pits slated for use in the construction of Interstate 10. As construction of the interstate continued, burials were revealed by nearby workers using an excavating machine. Jones mapped all 143 burials, excavated 42 of them, but fully recorded only five. He also noted the locations of numerous postmolds around the burials and interpreted them as markers or dividers within a cemetery. In 2013, 8LE120 was tested again by BAR archaeologist Jerry Lee who excavated some of the postmolds, used GPR to identify and test anomalies, and performed shovel testing to the west of what Jones had originally excavated. In addition to the historical background of the site, this presentation will explore the archaeology of 8LE120, re-examining the features, artifacts, and previous interpretations of the site, and will propose questions for future research.