Dig It!: Turtle Mound

After living in or near New Smyrna for over ten years, I finally visited Canaveral National Seashore. Besides being a beautiful beach, a nesting area for turtles, a natural escape for tourists and locals alike, Turtle Mound, a Native American trash midden, also lies in Canaveral National Seashore.

Timucuans who generated the mound lived in Mosquito Lagoon (what it now the area of New Smyrna and Ponce Inlet). Over a 600 year span, the Timucuans harvested nearby marine resources and discarded the shells. Standing approximately fifty feet, the accumulation of shell, charcoal, and food remains is one of the largest existing mounds along the Florida coast. Oyster shells compose most of the mound. Later Native Americans and Spanish explorers utilized the mound as a navigational landmark and a lookout throughout the eighteenth century. Turtle Mound now serves as a way for archaeologists to understand Timucuan culture based on the faunal remains and artifacts that still exist.

As I followed the boardwalk to the mound’s summit, I noticed two things: First, Beware of banana spiders!

 Second, I could understand why the Timucuans would live near Mosquito Lagoon. From the mound, I saw water all around. The area would be rich in resources; they could fish, harvest oysters, and hunt if necessary. At the top, a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and endless greenery extends until ocean meets sky. With a touch of historical imagination, I could envision native peoples launching their dugout canoes at the mound’s base, as Alvaro Mexia described in a 1605 exploration of La Florida.

Turtle Mound serves as a testament to what once was. The mound—smaller, but still intact-- is a stunning creation to see in person. Canaveral National Seashore offers a glimpse into history paired with beautiful surroundings.