Archaeology of Gulf Islands National Seashore

The area of the National Park Service’s Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island is a jewel of unspoiled natural beauty. In addition to providing habitat for a variety of wildlife, the Park also boasts some of Pensacola’s most interesting archaeological sites, both on land and under water. This presentation is a tour of some of these sites, including the Spanish colonial presidio and shipwrecks from several periods of Pensacola’s history.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Deadman’s Island: Pensacola Bay’s Unique Landform

The area known as Deadman’s Island in Pensacola Bay has served as a careening ground, shipbuilding center, quarantine station, and cemetery. Archaeologists have found remains of extensive activities, both prehistoric and historic, ranging from shipwrecks to barrel wells to coffins. Learn about the unique geography of this interesting landform, and why people have used it for thousands of years.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Archaeology of Northwest Florida: A Tour Through Our Heritage

This presentation features a virtual tour of the major archaeological discoveries in FPAN’s Northwest Region, the Panhandle of Florida. You’ll learn about 16th-century shipwrecks, Native American encampments and ceremonial centers, a Civil War gun battery, a Spanish fort and mission, historic cemeteries, and the nation’s oldest battleship!

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Unearthing Florida

With close to 500 years of European history and more than 10,000 years of Native American history, Florida is host to an array of archaeological sites on land and underwater. In this presentation, the author of the Unearthing Florida radio program will highlight eight different archaeological sites across the state from prehistoric times to the Civil War. We will learn about the history and archaeological investigations of these sites, some of the high-tech tools archaeologists used there, the artifacts they uncovered, and why the sites are important cultural resources on this statewide journey!

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Pirates! The Last Scourge of the Gulf

Two centuries ago, a massive wave of piracy struck the Gulf of Mexico and terrorized shipping along the Gulf coast. Florida was especially dangerous for travelers. Jean Lafitte and Charles Gibbs, two of the most notorious pirates from this period, had close ties to the Florida panhandle. One case of piracy even wound up in the court of West Florida in Pensacola and made newspaper headlines across the nation. This talk examines some of the broader aspects of piracy during the early 1800s in the Gulf and Caribbean. It also focuses on the current archaeological evidence for possible pirate ships from this period that wrecked beneath the waters of the Gulf.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Mosquitos, Muggles, and Museums: Exploring Florida’s Archaeology with Geocaching

Are you ready to get outside and explore Northwest Florida’s archaeology and history? Forget your fedoras and bullwhips; pick up a GPS device and go geocaching! Geocaching is a worldwide scavenger hunt game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called caches, using GPS devices and share their experiences online. FPAN recently created a series of geocaches hidden at historic and archaeological sites across northwest Florida to increase awareness that these places are out there and they are open for you to visit. This presentation describes how geocaching works, what you need to play, and a unique geocaching adventure created by FPAN that will take you back in time through northwest Florida’s history and archaeology.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Talking Smack: The Sailing Vessels of Pensacola’s Red Snapper Fishing Industry

After the end of the American Civil War, industry in Pensacola and Northwest Florida boomed as money flowed from the North to the South. Among the various industrial endeavors in the Pensacola area, commercial fishing for red snapper became one of the most successful. From 1870-1930, the colorful fishermen and beautiful sailing vessels of the red snapper fishing industry dominated the city’s waterfront. This presentation discusses the importance of red snapper fishing to the development of Pensacola and Northwest Florida, in addition to why the industry began and ended so quickly.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Remote Sensing in Archaeology

Archaeology is a destructive science. Excavation disturbs sites in such a way that they can never be restored to their original state. To preserve sites as they are found, archaeologists have various technologies in their archaeological “tool kit” to help study and gather data from sites without intrusive excavation. This lecture discusses, in basic terms, the kinds of remote-sensing instruments archaeologists use, both on land and underwater.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Introduction to Archaeology

What do archaeologists do, exactly? If dinosaurs and rocks come to mind, this is the presentation for you! Learn about the science of archaeology, its role as part of the field of anthropology, where archaeologists work, and how they discover and protect our cultural heritage. Appropriate for all ages, this fun and informative show sets the stage for understanding how archaeology preserves our past for the present and future.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php

Tombstone Tales: Cemeteries, Symbols, and Stories

Historic cemeteries are amazing outdoor museums containing vast amounts of information on markers and tombstones that can be “read” like historic documents. This presentation describes the development of the modern cemetery, the kinds of information that can be learned from inscriptions and symbols on markers, the laws protecting historic cemeteries in Florida, and ways to protect them for the future.

Presented by:
The Staff of the Northwest Region
Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)
Submit a Speaker Request Form:
http://fpan.us/nwrc/presentations.php