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

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

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

The Emanuel Point Ships: Florida’s Earliest Shipwrecks Associated with the 1559 Luna Expedition

Before the English settled Jamestown and before the Spanish colonized St. Augustine, the harbor of Pensacola, Florida, was targeted by Spanish authorities as the perfect place to establish a town on the northern Gulf Coast. Only a few weeks after arrival, however, Tristán de Luna’s fleet was destroyed by a violent hurricane. Two of Luna’s ships have been discovered in Pensacola Bay and have been archaeologically investigated. This lecture presents this little-known episode of colonial history as well as the ships and artifacts associated with the Luna expedition.

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

USS Massachusetts: History and Archaeology of the Nation’s Oldest Battleship

Just outside Pensacola Pass lie the remains of our nation’s oldest existing battleship, USS Massachusetts (BB2). Launched in 1896 as part of the New Steel Navy, the powerful warship soon was rendered obsolete by naval technological advances. Nevertheless, Massachusetts had an exciting career of combat, training, and target practice, and now is a massive artificial reef. This presentation describes the ship and her long life of service to the nation and to Pensacola.

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

Shipwrecks of Pensacola

The excellent port of Pensacola was long the focus of European rivalries in the New World because control of the harbor helped ensure dominance of the northern Gulf Coast. Shipwrecks litter the bay and surrounding waterways, many of which have been identified and archaeologically investigated. This presentation describes a variety of Pensacola’s historic shipwrecks from Pensacola’s Spanish, British, early American, and Industrial Expansion periods.

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

Shipwrecks of Northwest Florida

The Panhandle of Florida is the site of hundreds of historic shipwrecks, the result of centuries of maritime commerce, conflict, and travel. Three of these wrecks are featured in this presentation: USS Massachusetts, the nation’s oldest battleship sunk for target practice off Pensacola; SS Tarpon, a merchant vessel famous for its weekly trips between Mobile and Panama City until it was lost in a gale; and Vamar, sunk at Port St. Joe under mysterious circumstances during World War II.

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

“Dear Friends at Home”: Becoming Acquainted with a Civil War Soldier Through His Letters Home

Melvan Tibbetts was a Union soldier occupying Pensacola for a portion of the Civil War. We are very lucky to have the 20 letters that he wrote home to his family in Maine. These letters supply a wealth of information about West Florida during the Civil War, but they also provide a strong sense of familiarity with Melvan himself. This presentation demonstrates how much of an author’s personality is contained in historical documents and how this results in a more personal understanding of the past for the reader.

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

Suffragettes in Pensacola?

This presentation celebrates the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. The history of the Nineteenth Amendment will be discussed, and stories about Suffragettes in Pensacola and the local reaction to giving women the right to vote will be shared.

Presented by:
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian (Professor)/University Archivist
UWF Archives and West Florida History Center
University of West Florida Library
ddebolt@uwf.edu
850-474-2213