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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Lewis, Timothy R. 1997. Pioneer Settlements in Rookery Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands: An Archeological and Historical Approach.
Abstract: In June 1996, an archaeological and historical study of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century pioneer settlements in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was initiated through the combined efforts of the University of South Florida, Rookery Bay Reserve, and local citizen support. A study such as this is needed since the historic archaeological sequences in the Rookery Bay and Ten Thousand Islands regions of southwest Florida are poorly understood. Through the use of archaeological methods, historical research, and oral histories, the lives of these early settlers have begun to be understood. Out of nine historic sites identified in the reserve, five of these sites plus an additional site discovered during the course of this project contained enough archaeological remains to warrant further investigation. Surface data consisting mainly of glass bottles and whiteware fragments indicate patterns in the archaeological record that reveal consumer and household preferences. This study represents the first controlled recovery of archaeological remains from pioneer settlements on the southwest Florida coast. The Johnson Place (8CR51) contained artifacts which could be dated. Surface deposits of glass bottles at the Johnson Place indicate a pattern of site formation where artifacts representing the original occupation are only found at a distance from the house along the mangrove swamp, and artifacts representing the abandonment episode during the middle twentieth century are found adjacent to the house as well as along the mangrove swamps. No standing structures from the historical period remain in the Rookery Bay area. Remaining posts and beams were mapped and are indicative of a vernacular architectural style common to the area. Several oral histories were conducted during this project. The most notable interview occurred with a local resident, Mrs. Hazel Griffin, who visited Johnson Island as a child and provided valuable details pertaining to the house, the landscape, and the people. These accounts together with documentary records and archaeological methods begin to provide details about historical life in the Rookery Bay area that can be compared to other late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century historical settlements in southwest Florida.
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