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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Fisher, Elizabeth A., August, 1979 - 8-HI-13: EXCAVATIONS AT THE FORT BROOKE SITE, A 19TH CENTURY MILITARY RESERVATION LOCATED WITHIN THE PRESENT AREA OF TAMPA, FLORIDA
Abstract: A report of the summer 1978 excavations at the Fort Brooke site, 8-Hi-13, is presented. This slightly less than one acre is bounded on the north by the Cross-Town Expressway, on the south by Platt Street, on the east by Tampa Street and on the west by Ashley Street; both the Hillsborough River and Hillsborough Bay are nearby. The excavations were conducted to mitigate the impacts of the construction of a parking lot on the site. Contractual agreements were formed between the Anthropology Department of the University of South Florida and the City of Tampa through the Historic Tampa/Hillsborough County Preservation. Work was undertaken as a part of the U.S.F. Summer Archaeological Field School under the direction of Dr. J. Raymond Williams, with the author as Project Supervisor. The results of preliminary archaeological investigations of the site, conducted by Joan Deming, provided the primary orientation of the excavations. The recovery of subsurface structural remains associated with the Fort Brooke period was the focus of the investigations. Another major concern was the recovery of additional information regarding the aboriginal occupational remains which were encountered by Deming. Historic documentation was provided by the Preservation Board and consisted of a composite map of the area made up from an 1838 map of Fort Brooke with an overlay of the present downtown Tampa street plan. Three fort period structures were shown to have been located within the excavation area--tentatively identified as two commissary buildings and the Quartermaster's storehouse. The formulation of the initial fieldwork strategy was based both on the preliminary excavation results and the information provided by the composite map. An archaeological trench, extending three meters by eighteen meters and in an east west direction, was excavated for the purpose of intersecting the northwest-southeast oriented structures thought to have existed within the site area. Nine additional excavation units were opened during the course of the project in order to further investigate various features encountered within the trench area as well as to investigate other areas of the site. The results of the investigations have provided archaeological evidence to substantiate the recently completed historical research conducted by the Historic Preservation Board. This research reveals a lack of Fort Brooke structures within the locus of the 1978 excavations. However, the archaeological evidence reflected the nearby location of fort period structures in the form of a large quantity of 19th century cultural material. Evidence of severe disturbance to the cultural remains was also encountered. This has been attributed to a number of factors including the 1848 hurricane, which destroyed a large portion of Fort Brooke, as well as urban-related activities such as construction and demolition of many buildings on the lot since the late 19th century. The cultural remains associated with the aboriginal occupation consisted of a relatively intact shell midden along with evidence of an earlier occupation. On the basis of analysis of the aboriginal pottery, the shell midden remains have been identified as a Late Weeden Island, possibly extending to the Safety Harbor period occupation. The earlier aboriginal occupation is represented by a large quantity of chert debitage in levels beneath the midden. The results of the 1978 excavations reveal the potential for the recovery of archaeological evidence associated with both historic and aboriginal occupations within the urban context. To preclude the possibility of recovering such evidence with the urban environment is not warranted without archaeological field verification. It is possible that significant cultural remains can be recovered beneath portions of Tampa's urban veneer.
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