F E B R U A R Y - 2 0 2 0 PRESERVATION  EDUCATION  RESEARCH  INSPIRE

Dear Member: A huge thanks to everyone who attended our all day In-Depth Seminar on “Neanderthals & Early Humans”. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did putting it on. Now the Board has to figure on how we top it next year!

This month we are featuring Dr. Thomas Pluckhahn of University of South Florida. He is going to tell us about his recent excavations at the Safety Harbor Site in Tampa. Come join us on the 19th.

Don’t forget your dues are now due. Previously membership dues were collected on your anniversary date, but this has proven very hard to administer. So with that in mind, the Board changed the procedure so that all member- ship dues will be due in January.

Thank you for being a Time Sifters member.

Darwin “Smitty” Smith, President [email protected]

February 19, 6:00 PM - Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota Remembering Tocobaga: Recent Archaeology at the Safety Harbor Site in Tampa Bay

Dr. Tom Pluckhahn Professor, University of South Florida The Safety Harbor site is widely recognized as the probable location of the native town of Tocobaga, where Spanish Governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established a short-lived mission-fort in the 1560s. It later became the location for the plantation owned by one of the area’s most legendary settlers, “Count” Odet Philippe. Philippe is said to have been a childhood friend of Napoleon. He was the first European settler of Pinellas County, the first to cultivate citrus in Florida, and the first to introduce cigar rolling to Tampa Bay; generally omitted from such tall tales is the fact that he was slave owner of likely Afro-Caribbean heritage.

Photos: Tom Pluckhahn Notes from a Time Sifter By Smitty, Time Sifters Board Member Historical Fiction/Non Fiction – British Navy Style

Historical fiction about the Royal and intelligence agent. In this British Navy during the series the addition of the friendship 1700/1800’s is a very popular topic. It between Aubrey and Maturin is the time when Britain, France, makes it even more interesting. Spain, Holland and the upstart O’Brian puts this pair in all the United States were fighting for major battles of the era. In 2003, control of the seas. It was the Russel Crowe stared in the movie time of the great sailing ships, of “Master & Commander”. It is the Battles at Trafalgar, the Nile, considered one of the best films the Saintes, and of Napoleon, depicting this era. Horatio Nelson, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. The Bolitho novels are a series of It’s the time of the East Indian nautical war novels written by Tea Company, the slave trade Douglas Reeman (using the and its horrors. There are at least pseudonym Alexander Kent). They ten series of novels (from 11 to 27 focus on the military careers of books in each series) about this Richard Bolitho and Adam period. Each of these series contain a Bolitho in the Royal Navy, from the heroic Captain that you follow Lord Horatio Nelson time of the American Revolution past from his early induction into the the Napoleonic Era. There are 27

Navy as a youth – often as a Royal British Navy officer who is fantastic novels in this series. midshipman, continuing with his the main character of a series of Richard Bolitho is a Royal Navy rise in the ranks to become an 11 novels by C. S. Forester. officer, the second son of a Admiral. The stories are of the Hornblower starts as a seasick prestigious naval family. He joined crew of his ships and what life midshipman and as the Napoleonic the Navy in 1768. He served in the was like on board a cramped Wars progress, he advances wars against France and the wooden sailing ship for a minimum of through the ranks as a result of United States. He was promoted to a year at a time, with hundreds his skill and daring. After surviving lieutenant in 1774, captain in of your closest friends enjoying many adventures in a wide variety 1782, and admiral in 1812. Adam poor food, no privacy, and constant of locales, he rises to the pinnacle Bolitho is Richard’s nephew and danger from the sea. The descriptions of his profession, Admiral of the becomes Richard's heir. Adam, the of these great battles including Fleet. only son of Richard's disgraced the tactics used by the combatants older brother Hugh, is sent to are really exciting. We often forget One of the best series is the Richard at the age of 14 by his dying that they were at the whim of the Aubrey–Maturin series. It is a mother, he joins the Royal Navy, wind which was their only source series of 20 completed (and one rising through the ranks to establish of power. unfinished) novels by Patrick himself as a daring and resourceful O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic frigate captain. There are hundreds of really Wars and centering on the friendship good novels available. Here are a between Captain Jack Aubrey of If you like non-Fiction, try many few you might want to try. For a the Royal Navy and his ship's of the biographies of Lord Horatio start try Horatio Hornblower, a surgeon Stephen Maturin, a Nelson or Lord Thomas Cochrane fictional Napoleonic Wars-era physician, natural philosopher, Continued on page 3... Continued from page 2 ... Historical Fiction/Non Fiction – British Navy Style

by David Cordingly who also wrote First of June, the Battle of the Nile Most of these books are not written a history of HMS Bellerophon and the Battle of Trafalgar, and like textbooks and are easy and called “Billy Ruffian”. She was a was the ship aboard which enjoyable to read. There are other 74-gun third-rate ship of the line Napoleon finally surrendered, authors who have written extensively of the Royal Navy. Launched in ending 22 years of nearly continuous on this period and half the fun is 1786, she served during the war with France. the search for good ones. If you French Revolutionary and have a recommendation, please Napoleonic Wars. Known to sailors as As you can tell there is a lot to drop us a line so that we can the "Billy Ruffian", she fought in choose from, we hope that you share it with other members. three fleet actions, the Glorious find something you like.

Wikipedia worked on Admiral Nelson’s Did You Know? ship during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He explained Powder Monkey that “the smoke sofecated us … our skreens took fire and The British Royal Navy first beganFigure 1 Figure 2 burnt the Leftanant of mereans using the term “powder monkey” (marines) badley. I had jest in the 17th century. In the golden age left their wen the exploshon of sail, young boys would be took place. The men inside the recruited or press-ganged to service skreens was burnt to deth … artillery guns on warships. Their Then I had to go to the fore job was to ferry gunpowder from magesene for my powder.” the magazine in the ship’s hold to the gun crews. It was a Despite his age and lower- dangerous job: gun carriages penetrate flesh. class status, Sands unlikely would regularly dismount and Brief autobiographical accounts memoir is one of the few accounts maim crewmembers, scalding from powder monkeys survive. that exist from the battle. iron rained from misfired guns One such account is from a boy and giant splinters would named Robert Sands, who BBC History Magazine

Officers: Copyright © 2020 Darwin "Smitty" Smith, President Board of Directors Time Sifters Archaeology Society, Inc., All rights reserved. Sherry Svekis, Vice President We send newsletters to people Marion Almy, Secretary Directors: who have attended or expressed Laura Harrison, Treasurer Dorothy Cascio Evelyn Mangie interest in our lectures and given us Karen Jensen, Membership Steven Derfler Don Nelson their email address. Speakers & Events Calendar Unless noted, all will be held at 6:00 PM Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236

February 19, 2020 Remembering Tocobaga: Membership Recent Archaeology at the Safety Harbor Site in Tampa Bay Lifetime: $350 Dr. Thomas Pluckhahn Individual: $25 Family: $35 March 18, 2020 Student: $10 Mocama (Timucua) Indians and Spanish Missions: Supporting $40 Life beneath the Bell. Pay online at: Dr. Keith Ashley WWW.TimeSifters.org Or mail checks to: April 13 Time Sifters, Inc. 2019 Cornelia Futor Memorial Student Paper Winners PO Box 5283 1st and 2nd Place Student Paper Presenters Sarasota, FL. 34277

Time Sifters Archaeology Society P. O. Box 5283, Sarasota, FL 34277