26Apr13 Spring Newsletter is here!

Spring Newsletter is Hot off the Presses!

Follow the link below to check out the latest edition of FPAN West Central’s newsletter. We have a lot of exciting things to tell you about that we have been working on, and that are upcoming for this summer, so make sure to check it out!

http://flpublicarchaeology.org/uploads/wcrc/April_2013_newsletter.pdf

In this edition:

  • Learn about our new partnership and upcoming programs at the Weedon Island Preserve in St. Pete.
  • Set sail with us and learn about our adventure on a replica 15th century Caravel called Pinta.
  • Check out a cool archaeo-bike trail that is in the works for Bradenton.
  • Learn about some new research on one of the earliest historic homesteads on the Pinellas peninsula.

And much more!

…and if you haven’t already, make sure to check out our facebook page to learn more about archaeology in your area, as well as different events and activities you can participate in. Your “Likes” are appreciated! https://www.facebook.com/FPANwestcentral

Thanks from your friends at FPAN!

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5Mar13 Re-Photography Exhibit in the Works for Crystal River Archaeological State Park

By: Rebecca O’Sullivan

Archaeologists rarely leave any traces of their work above the ground, but re-photography can bring their work to life on the modern landscape.

As an archaeologist I love to learn about the past through the clues people have left behind. As a public archaeologist I also love to go out of my way to share that experience of discovery and wonder with people who otherwise might not learn about the remnants of the past which sometimes lie beneath their feet. When people think of archaeology their mind often jumps to visions of archaeologists carefully digging in the ground, gingerly brushing ancient dust off artifacts that haven’t been touched in thousands of years. But broken pieces of pottery and stone tools aren’t the only kinds of evidence archaeologists can investigate, sometimes much more recent types of artifacts can reveal something about the past (as well as today.)

 

Click to view larger

Archaeologist Ripley Bullen stands next to the Crystal River stele today in this re-photo

 

I’ve dabbled in a bit of re-photography previously, with our Ybor City archaeology project for example, but a recent photography book inspired me to try something a bit bigger. The Crystal River archaeological site in Citrus County is perfect for this kind of re-photo project for several reasons: the distinctive landscape features and museum building, the number of archaeological projects that have been done there over time, and the importance of the site in general. Most archaeological sites wouldn’t lend themselves well to re-photography simply because they are invisible to the naked eye from above the ground, but the mounds and stelae at Crystal River make it the perfect spot to line up some old photos on the current landscape.

 

When the sea wall slumped in at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park boat slip archaeologists and park staff were on the scene to shore it up. The material recovered from the slip was then used as part of the Sifting for Technology activity that park visitors and students can take part in today at the park.

 

You can be a part of this project to document and celebrate the Crystal River site. All you have to do is find your old pictures of the site, or just come out and enjoy the exhibit. Join us at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park on Friday March 22, from 6 to 8pm for the opening of a new re-photography exhibit “Then and Now: The Crystal River Site in Photographs” and bring your pictures of the Crystal River site through time. Archaeologists from the Florida Public Archaeology Network will be on hand to scan your images and add them to a database that documents the history of the site. Every picture is important to telling the story of this important site. Do you have a 1950s picture of the mound before it was partially destroyed? Pictures from the mobile home park that used to cover the site? A picture from last week of a bike ride through the park? All of these memories are wanted and welcome. Hope to see you there!

WHAT: Re-Photography Exhibit Opening “Then and Now: The Crystal River Site in Photographs”

WHEN: March 22 from 6-8pm

WHERE: Crystal River Archaeological State Park, 3400 N. Museum Point Crystal River, Florida 34428

 

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29Jan13 Winter 2013 Newsletter is Here!

Check out the newest edition of the FPAN West Central newsletter and you might learn: what the Weedon Island canoe and modern paddle boarders have in common, why Becky has been wandering around her neighborhood looking at storm drains, Ryan’s favorite gastropod, all about our new interns in the West Central, what to look forward to this March for Archaeology Month, and much more!

Click the link below….

http://flpublicarchaeology.org/uploads/wcrc/january_2013_newsletter.pdf

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17Oct12 Fall Newsletter is hot off the presses!

Click the link below to check out the latest installment of the FPAN West Central newsletter. We’ve been busy the last few months, but there are also a lot of cool events and opportunities coming up so make sure to check it out!

http://flpublicarchaeology.org/uploads/wcrc/october_2012_newsletter.pdf

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6Sep12 Site Seeing: Myakka River State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps

By Becky O’Sullivan

The old horse barn constructed by workmen from the CCC now serves as the interpretive center for the Myakka River State Park

In honor of Labor Day I decided to take a little day trip down to Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, FL. Not only is it one of the oldest State Parks in Florida, the land was purchased in September of 1934, it was also the site of the only CCC camp for African Americans in Florida.

The CCC (or Civilian Conservation Corps) was a New Deal program instituted by Franklin D. Roosevelt that was meant to put unemployed men back to work on various projects and improvements to federal and state properties. In some cases, CCC workers even served as excavators on archaeological projects throughout the country.

At Myakka River State Park, many of the buildings constructed by CCC workers during the mid to late 1930s still exist on the property. An old wooden horse barn now serves as an interpretive center for the park, and cabins constructed of palmetto logs are still available for the public to rent out. As you can see in the pictures below the rustic look of these buildings really compliments and enhances the beauty of the natural environment at the park.

CCC label on the old Myakka River horse barn

 

Although slightly flooded when I visited, palmetto log cabins built by the CCC are still in use at the park today.

Myakka CCC cabin

Many of Florida’s State Parks have their origin in the CCC, so next time you are at Myakka River, Highlands Hammock, Hillsborough River, Gold Head Branch, O’Leno, Torreya, Florida Caverns, or Ft. Clinch State Parks make sure to keep an eye out for the handiwork of the CCC.

Detailed view of Myakka River CCC cabin

I really loved the rustic details of these cabins, wish I could stay in one!

Exterior palm log walls of the cabins are chinked with asphalt and sawdust mortar

Myakka CCC restroom

Even the bathrooms are historic at this park!

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31Jul12 Summer 2012 Newsletter

Check out the newest edition of our newsletter at the link below and see all the exciting things we have been up to at the FPAN West Central office!

 

http://flpublicarchaeology.org/uploads/wcrc/july_2012_newsletter.pdf

 

 

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2Feb12 Lab Time with Becky

 

By: Becky O’Sullivan

 

Hey guys and gals. As you might know, last spring and summer we did a little fieldwork out at the Ybor City Museum State Park. And where there is fieldwork there is….lab work! I’ve been going through the artifacts we found during our survey (cleaning, sorting, and cataloging) and in the process I’ve run across a few items that might be of some interest. So, check them out below and give me your guesses on what these things might be! (That means you too, all you lurkers out there.)

View of the outer surface of Artifact 1

 

View of the inside of Artifact 1

Artifact 1 was found about 20-30 cm below the surface in Shovel Test 3, near some of the casitas within the State Park (remember, excavating on State property is against the law without the proper permitting and expertise!) This artifact is made of a plastic-like material and is just a fragment of what probably would have been a round item. On what would have been the inside are some metal pieces and wire, while the outside is decorated with an acorn and oak leaves. Any thoughts on what it might be? Click the link below to answer the poll question…

What do you think Artifact 1 is?

 

The embossed writing on this bottle was in Spanish!

Artifact 2 was also found in Shovel Test 3 near the casitas, but was slightly higher at only 0-10 cm below the surface. This piece of clear glass is embossed with some words, not uncommon for historic bottles, but these words are in Spanish. We were in Ybor City after all… It reads “JARAB[E]…. PARA LA…..” but there are obviously some words missing. Put your High School Spanish lessons to work, what might this bottle have once contained?

What do you think Artifact 2 contained?

 

Front view of Artifact 3

Back view of Artifact 3.

This last item was also found at the top of Shovel Test 3, but it’s a bit of a mystery. Maybe you can help me figure it out? This artifact is made of cast metal, and it’s super heavy so probably lead. The metal is painted grey but I can also see some small areas where black paint was used to add details. It obviously broke off a larger item, but what might it have been?

So, what do you think it is?

Let me know your thoughts, and next week I’ll reveal the answers!

 

 

***UPDATE***

Artifact 1 is a bakelite electrical plug from the early 20th century, it was that acorn and oak leaf motif that gave it away. Thanks Google! Here’s a pic of a modern reproduction and here’s a pic of one of these plugs attached to a light fixture of the day.

 

Artifact 2 most likely came from a cough syrup bottle and would have read “JARABE DE LEONARDI PARA LA TOS CREOSOTADO LEONARDI’S COUGH SYRUP CREOSOTED TAMPA, FLA“. There was also an english version of this bottle, but it’s cool that we would find the spanish version in Ybor City!

 

Artifact 3 is a bit of a mystery, but my personal guess is that this might be from a cast metal toy. Maybe the leg of a horse? Can’t say for sure. We’ve found a few other toys during our excavations in Ybor, but that’s a subject for another blog!

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25Jan12 Why I love archaeology, as explained by The Little Mermaid

 

By Becky O’Sullivan

As a kid growing up in the early 90’s I of course had my favorite animated Disney movie: The Little Mermaid. I could recite the dialogue from the entire film almost verbatim and would often wish for long red hair and a fish tail as I swam around the neighborhood swimming pool. While I still wish I was a redhead, now I think I might understand why I loved the movie so much. Given the right education and training, Ariel (the “little mermaid” of the movie title) would be a killer archaeologist.

Ariel probably fits more in the antiquarian school of Archaeology, but I know she really wants to be a post-processualist.

 

Ariel loves to study and collect the things that human beings have discarded on the ocean’s floor. Although it doesn’t seem she is so interested in the items’ context, what is clear is that she is very interested in learning more about the people who created these strange (to her) objects. One of the things I love about archaeology is the detective work that goes into figuring out an archaeological site. While it might seem ridiculous to us for someone to misinterpret what a fork is used for, because archaeologists for the most part only have material items to go off when they are trying to understand a past group such misunderstandings are bound to happen.

Remember, taking artifacts from shipwrecks is against the law (and might get you eaten by a giant shark.)

But in the end Ariel isn’t singing about how cool her collection of arrow heads is, or how she just finished developing her own bottle chronology she is singing about her desire for understanding. Artifacts themselves are really just old garbage. Without understanding where they came from and who made them they are just a dusty old collection. The thing that would make Ariel a good archaeologist, and the thing I love most about archaeology, is the desire to learn more about the people behind the artifacts. The stuff that we find as archaeologists can be pretty neat, but ultimately I want to be where the people are!

 

 

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10Jan12 Archaeology at the Fort: SHA Day 4!

By: Becky O’Sullivan

 

So it’s the last day of SHA, it’s been a long conference but I heard a lot of great papers.

While I went to hear some fantastic papers in the morning, in the afternoon Barbara and I went to check out the SHA Public Archaeology Day at Fort McHenry.

 

Checkin’ out the tent at the SHA Public Archaeology Day.

 

It was nice to talk to some of the groups that are engaged in presenting archaeology to the public in the region, and a few even had out some artifacts and activities that they use in their outreach programming.

 

Learning about Archaeobotany by sorting and identifying different kinds of seeds.

 

After checking out the tent, Barbara and I headed over to some park ranger led interp (it was obvious he had NAI training because of how engaging his talk was!) One thing he had the visitors do was unfurl a replica of the “Star Spangled Banner” that had once famously flown over the fort. He talked about the importance of this material item to the people of Baltimore during the War of 1812, but also of that importance to people today in this country. Then he tied that in to the importance of artifacts to archaeologists, how we learn from material objects not just about past people but about ourselves.

 

Unfurling the flag in the shadow of where the “Star Spangled Banner” once flew over Fort McHenry.

 

All in all a great day, but very happy to be back in the warmth of Tampa!

 

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9Jan12 Archaeology at the Museum: Day 3 at SHA!

By: Becky O’Sullivan

 

On Friday I skipped out on listening to papers, although there were lots of interesting ones scheduled, to go into Washington D.C. and visit a few of the Smithsonian museums. Three exhibits in particular got my attention because of the way they showcased archaeology.

The Smithsonian set up a complete house in their "Within these Walls" exhibit, that's one big artifact!

The first exhibit was at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, titled “Within these Walls“. It consisted of an entire Georgian style house that had been moved into the museum, complete with interior furnishing that exemplified different eras of the house’s occupation. While they didn’t talk specifically about archaeology, the main message of the exhibit was that the material things that people choose to have around them say something not only about the person but also about the time they were living in. A great exhibit to practice thinking like an archaeologist!

The interpretive panel makes you think about the importance of material culture in learning about past people.

Next, I went over to the National Museum of the American Indian. On the day I visited Tsimshian carver David Boxley and his son were putting the finishing touches on a beautiful totem pole that had been commissioned for the museum. It was great to watch him work, but it was also great to talk with the artist and get the story behind the figures that decorated the pole. The rest of the exhibits were equally inspiring, especially because they tell the story of America’s native peoples through their own voices.

The figures that make up the totem pole tell a story about the importance of being kind to others.

Finally, I swung over to the National Museum of Natural History to see one exhibit in particular about the archaeology of Jamestown. I really liked this one in particular because they showed the archaeological process and presented the bones along with the artifacts that were found in the burial.

Letting museum visitors piece together the mystery of a burial in Jamestown based on artifacts and forensic anthropology.

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