Crawling through St. Augustine Archaeology: Week 3, the 18th Century
Every October, we traditionally host our St. Augustine Archaeology Pub Crawl to celebrate International Archaeology Day. Unfortunately, this year we are unable to host the event due to restrictions on public events because of the global pandemic. However, we'll be bringing you a virtual crawl through the City's archaeology through a weekly series featuring archaeological research, links to more resources, and fun beverage pairings. Keep your eyes peeled for a new post every Friday.
This week, we'll explore the tumultuous 18th century.
The Sites:
During the 18th century, St. Augustine saw a lot of change. The town grew in size during the first half of the century, and changed hands between the Spanish and the British, then back to the Spanish, during the second half. This period is marked by diversity which is reflected in the material goods found by archaeologists.
One big way that the settlement became more diverse is through new residents. St. Augustine saw an influx of native peoples to the area during the 18th century. Archaeologists have uncovered several missions from the 18th century including Mission Nombre de Dios, San Antonio de Pocotalaca and Nuestra Senora del Posaria de la Punta. Some of these sites were home to Timucuan peoples, others home to Guale or Yamassee peoples from Georgia and South Carolina, while still others had residents from as far away as the Canary Islands.
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| The Mission Nombre de Dios stood at the present day mission site from 1677 - 1728, the only stone mission church in La Florida. Photo: Florida Museum. |
Read more about the 2013 excavations at Pocotalaca, the Florida Museum's work at Nombre de Dios or the City of St. Augustine's research on La Punta. I would also recommend, for those looking for something more academic, a couple of theses on Pocotalaca and La Punta.
As the British grew their presence in Georgia and the Carolinas, the population of enslaved peoples grew as well. Some of these individuals were able to escape to find freedom in a new home, Fort Mose de Gracia Real. This military outpost was established by the Spanish governor in 1738 and survived several battles and raids by the British over 3 decades, making it the first legally sanctioned free black settlement in the present day US. Archaeologists rediscovered the site in the 1980s, and from their research, Fort Mose Historic State Park tells the story of the community that thrived there.
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| Artist's drawing of what Fort Mose may have looked like. Photo: Florida Museum. |
Learn more about Fort Mose via the Florida Museum's exhibit, or through the Fort Mose Historical Society.
The story of the British in St. Augustine can also be seen in two shipwrecks: the Industry and the Storm Wreck. The Industry wrecked at the beginning of the British Period. It was a supply ship bringing everything the new colonists might need to establish homes in the newly acquired East and West Florida colonies. Artifacts included millstones, cookware and boxes of tools such as axe heads, shovel blades, and handsaws. The Storm Wreck is a ship from the fleet of colonists leaving the original 13 after the Revolutionary War. This wreck tells the story of the British colonists abandoning their homes in the newly minted United States and moving back home.
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| Artifacts found on the Storm Wreck like this door lock tell us that the fleeing British loyalist packed up everything they could before they left! Photo: LAMP |
You can read about research on the Industry or the Storm Wreck conducted by the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program.
The Beverage:
In honor of the duel ownership of St. Augustine during the 18th century, I'm going to offer up two beverages this week! From the Spanish influence, I'd recommend a nice cup of chocolate! You can stick with a traditional hot cocoa (spiked, anyone?), or maybe get wild with a chocolate martini. Several archaeologists have looked at Spanish households during this period and evidence for chocolate consumption is strong. Katherine Ness's work on food and dining in 18th Century Spanish households identified plenty of occurrences of cups meant specifically for chocolate in several households around town. And then there's the chocolate frother!
As for the Brits, I'm going to recommend a nice beer, preferably something brewed locally! Check out one of our four hometown breweries: Dog Rose Brewing, Bog Brewing, Old Coast Ales or Ancient City Brewing. One of the more intriguing artifacts found on the Storm Wreck was a tap, notably found in the open position. This led archaeologists to speculate crew members could have been draining a barrel, trying to lessen the weight of the ship as it was in turmoil. And while it certainly could have been water, I like Chuck Meide's story that folks deciding to drain the beers kegs for one last hurray in helping with these efforts.
Text by Emily Jane Murray, FPAN Staff. Image sources noted in captions.