A Cultural Resource Assessment Survey of the Gasparilla Inn Property in Lee County, Florida
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A CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT SURVEY OF THE GASPARILLA INN PROPERTY IN LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA Prepared for: Gasparilla Inn, Inc. P.O. Box 1088 Boca Grande, Florida 33921 Prepared by: Panamerican Consultants, Inc. 5337 North Socrum Loop Rd, Ste. 144 Lakeland, Florida 33809 May 2015 A CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT SURVEY OF THE GASPARILLA INN PROPERTY IN LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA Prepared for: Gasparilla Inn, Inc. P.O. Box 1088 Boca Grande, Florida 33921 Prepared by: Panamerican Consultants, Inc. 5337 North Socrum Loop Rd, Ste. 144 Lakeland, Florida 33809 Jelane Wallace Field Director Gregory A. Mikell, M.A., R.P.A. Senior Archaeologist May 2015 Panamerican Consultants, Inc. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Section I .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Archival Research ........................................................................................................................... 4 Historic Maps ...................................................................................................................... 4 Historic Aerial Photographs ................................................................................................ 6 Land Use History ................................................................................................................ 8 Previous Investigations ....................................................................................................... 9 Section II ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Environmental Setting .................................................................................................................. 11 Physiography, Geology, and Hydrology ........................................................................... 11 Climate .............................................................................................................................. 11 Soils................................................................................................................................... 14 Section III...................................................................................................................................... 15 Culture History.............................................................................................................................. 15 Prehistoric Context ............................................................................................................ 15 Historic Context ................................................................................................................ 19 Section IV ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Research Design ............................................................................................................................ 26 Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 26 Expected Results ............................................................................................................... 27 Field Methods ................................................................................................................... 27 Laboratory Methods .......................................................................................................... 28 Procedures to Deal with Unexpected Discoveries ............................................................ 29 Criteria for NRHP Eligibility ............................................................................................ 29 Section V ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Survey Results and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 30 Archaeological Results ..................................................................................................... 31 Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 32 References Cited ........................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix A: Materials Recovered Appendix B: Florida Master Site File Form ii Panamerican Consultants, Inc. LIST OF FIGURES Cover: Gulf shoreline from Gasparilla Inn Property project area (PCI April 2015). Figure 1. Location of the Gasparilla Inn Property in Lee County, Florida. ................................... 1 Figure 2. Location of the project area and nearby recorded cultural resources and surveys on the Punta Gorda SW, Fla. 1987 USGS 7.5’ topographic quadrangle. ................................. 2 Figure 3. 1876 plat map for Township 43 South, Range 20 East, with the project areas in red (BLM 2015a). ................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 4. Detail from an 1856 military map of Florida (USF 2015a). ........................................... 5 Figure 5. 1937 FDOT map showing Gasparilla Island (USF 2015b). ........................................... 6 Figure 6. 1943 USGS topographic map of Gasparilla Island with project area in blue (BGHS 2015a). ............................................................................................................................ 6 Figure 7. Aerial photograph with project area in blue, taken January 9, 1952 (PALMM 2015). .. 7 Figure 8. Aerial photograph with project area in blue, taken February 14, 1970 (PALMM 2015). ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 9. Gasparilla Inn Tennis Club courts, facing northeast (PCI April 2015). ....................... 12 Figure 10. Gasparilla Inn Tennis Club building, facing north (PCI April 2015). ......................... 12 Figure 11. Pond in western portion of project area, facing west (PCI April 2015). ..................... 13 Figure 12. Push pile and dump area northeast corner of project area, facing southeast (PCI April 2015). ............................................................................................................................ 13 Figure 13. CH&N’s Boca Grande depot, undated, circa 1907 (State Archives of Florida 2015a). ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 14. Gasparilla Inn as it was initially constructed, circa 1911 (State Archives of Florida 2015b). .......................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 15. Undated postcards showing a northeast view of Gasparilla Inn tennis courts on the south side of 4th Street. Date to post-1967 based on ‘dog-bone’ zigzag jetties. Note the project area is to the left side of the images (BGHS 2015b). ....................................... 25 Figure 16. Location of shovel tests and resources on an aerial photograph. ................................ 30 Figure 17. Site 8LL2648 with tennis courts in background, facing east (PCI April 2015). ......... 31 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary of the Land Records for Section 14 of Township 43 South, Range 20 East. .. 8 Table 2. Archaeological Sites Located Within A 0.5-Mile Radius Of The Project Area. ............. 9 Table 3. Historic Resources Located Within A 0.5-Mile Radius Of The Project Area. ................ 9 Table 4. Selected Historic Structures Located Near The Project Area. ....................................... 10 Table 5. Previous Surveys Conducted Within A 0.5-Mile Radius Of The Project Area. ............ 10 Panamerican Consultants, Inc. iii INTRODUCTION Panamerican Consultants, Inc. (PCI) of Lakeland, Florida, conducted an archaeological and historical survey of the approximately 10.32-acre Gasparilla Inn Property project area in Boca Grande, Lee County, Florida. This survey work was performed for Gasparilla Inn, Inc. (Gasparilla) of Boca Grande, Florida, in anticipation of a request from the Division of Historical Resources (DHR), Florida Department of State. It was designed to meet the requirements of the DHR and in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), as amended in 1992, and 36 C.F.R., Part 800: Protection of Historic Properties. The investigation described within this report was also designed to satisfy the requirements of Chapter 1A-46 of the Florida Administrative Code, and to comply with Chapter 267 and Chapter 373, Florida Statutes. The purpose of this investigation was to identify cultural resources, including archaeological sites and historic features within the project area, and assess their potential eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Gasparilla Inn Property project area is located in western Lee County, on the Gulf barrier island, Gasparilla Island, which is at the north end of the mouth of Charlotte Harbor (Figure 1). It is situated within the main town on the island, Boca Grande. The