HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH PARK (8-SJ-31) ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA 1934-2007 Kathleen Deagan Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida July 1, 2008 Florida Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Project Reports in Archaeology # 59 Final Report on Florida Bureau of Historical Resources Special Category Grant # SC 161 TABLE OF CONTENTS Historical Archaeology at the Fountain of Youth Park 1934-2007 Kathleen Deagan List of Figures iv List of Tables vii Acknowledgements viii I. Introduction 1 The Menéndez sites 2 The Fountain of Youth Park site 3 The Archaeological program 4 Interdisciplinary collaboration and paradigm evolution 5 Methodological refinement 7 II. Environmental, Historical and Cultural Contexts 9 Environmental context 10 Indigenous floral and faunal communities 11 Water resources 11 Landscape alterations 12 Cultural History 14 The Timucua 15 Pedro Menéndez de Aviles and the enterprise of Florida 18 The 1565 fort and settlement 20 The Colonists 22 Mutiny and Rebellion 24 Saturiwa’s hostility and the construction of Casas Fuertes 26 The Nombre de Dios Mission 29 The Fountain of Youth Park site after ca. 1763 34 20th century alterations 35 III.Pre-1960 Archaeological Research at the Fountain of Youth Park Site 38 The 1934, 1935 and 1953 burial excavation projects 39 Seaberg-Hahn village excavations 1951 45 The 1951 Porter-Cooper campaign 47 IV: The Field School Excavations 1976-2005 52 Methods and Protocols 52 Horizontal and vertical controls 53 Field designations 54 Excavation and recovery method 56 Recording procedures 57 Laboratory procedures 58 Data ordering and periodicity 59 Site Taphonomy 62 General Stratigraphy 63 Summary of Results: Northern Park tests 65 Summary of Results: Western Park tests (8-SJ31 West) 68 Summary of Results: Excavations in the Spanish encampment area, 1976-2004 76 Linear trenches: Rectangular structures 80 Northern linear trenches: floor sill beams or agricultural ditches? 82 Central area and major posts 87 Rectangular Pit Feature 88 i Section V. Technical field report on the 2006-2007 Field Season 93 Objectives 93 Ground Penetrating Radar Survey: 2006 94 Completion of Shovel Test Survey in Previously Untested Areas 95 Development of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 100 Development of a testable model of potential architectural and defensive configurations at the Menéndez site-Spanish encampment area 103 2005-2007 Field Excavations 106 Exploring the eastern periphery of the site 106 Eastern ditch or moat 107 Exploratory trench 06-1 109 Unit 440N 550E 112 Unit 391N 503N 118 Delineating spatial organization and built features 121 Unit 429N 536E 121 Exploratory trench 06-2 125 Re-excavating units flooded and suspended in 1991 130 Block 430N 512E 131 Block 438N 518E: Units 438N 518E and 447N 518E 135 Relocation of 1951 Excavation Units 142 The western 1951 excavations: Trench 460N 486E 143 The northeastern 1951 excavations: Trench 479N 530E, and Unit 477.5N 531E 144 The northern test trenches 150 Trench 481N 499E 152 Trench 481N 487E 153 VI: Material Remains from Excavations 158 Native American Ceramics 159 St. Johns Tradition 159 San Pedro (grog-tempered) Tradition 165 Irene/Altamaha/San Marcos Tradition 166 Undefined/Unidentified Wares 170 Indigenous pottery traditions and regional interaction 160 Native American Tools and Weaponry 172 Shell implements and tools 173 Native American ornaments 178 Menéndez Era Artifacts 180 European Ceramics 187 Non-ceramic European materials 191 Military items and weaponry 192 Household and domestic items 194 European-tradition clothing and personal items 195 European-introduced beads 197 Mission period remains in the Menéndez encampment area 203 Food and subsistence remains 208 VII: Interpretive Summary and Future Directions 216 Architectural implications of the 2006-2007 excavation results 216 Chief’s House- Alternative Hypotheses 219 The Plaza 220 Menéndez-era structures 222 Timucua structures 224 ii Summary: Cultural history at the Fountain of Youth Park site 228 Pre-1565 occupations 228 Menéndez-era occupation 233 Mission period occupation 235 Eighteenth and nineteenth century occupations 241 Management concerns and future uses 240 Boundaries 241 Site integrity 241 Significance 243 Future use and impact 245 Public interpretation 247 Future archeological research priorities 248 REFERENCES CITED 256 Copy of Appendix 6 272 Copy of Appendix 1 (6pp) 275 Copy of Appendix 5 (10pp) 280 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 Communications reporting fieldwork at the Fountain of Youth Park Site in 1952 (Porter) and 1934 (Dickson) APPENDIX 2 Fountain of Youth Park Site Archaeological Project 2005 Field Report: Continuing excavation at 1565 Spanish Campsite. By Ingrid Newquist APPENDIX 3 Using the FOY GIS By Edward Tennant-Gonzales APPENDIX 4 The “Very Large House” at the village of Seloy. Fountain of Youth Park site (8-SJ-31). By Herschel Shepard, FAIA Emeritus APPENDIX 5 Distribution of all excavated material (1976-2007) by time period APPENDIX 6 Supplies present in St. Augustine, 1565-May 1566 APPENDIX 7 Native American and Spanish Subsistence in Sixteenth-Century St. Augustine: Vertebrate Faunal Remains from Fountain of Youth (8SJ31), St. Johns Co., Florida by Kelly L. Orr and Carol Colaninno iii FIGURES Figure 1.1 Location of 8-SJ-31 Figure 1.2 Aerial location of 8-SJ-31 and 8-SJ-34 Figure 1.3 Location of 8-SJ-31 in relation to waterways Figure 1.4 Hypothetical rendering of the first fort by Albert Manucy (1995) Figure 2.1, The Fountain of Youth Park Figure 2.2 16th century maps showing site region Figure 2.3 Detail of the Antonio de Arredondo Map, 1731 Figure 2.4 Detail of the Pablo de Castello map, 1764 Figure 2.5 Detail of the Mariano de la Rocque Map 1784 Figure 2.6 Detail of the 1862 U.S. Coastal Survey of St. Augustine Figure 2.7 Detail of the 1917 USGS soi1 map Figure 2.8 Aerial view of the Fountain of Youth Park showing airstrip, ca. 1930’s Figure 2.9 Replica of a Native American council house, 1934 Figure 2.10 Mill house/Gift shop at the Fountain of Youth Park Figure 2.11 City of St. Augustine plat map (ca. 1960) overlaid on the 8-SJ-31 basemap Figure 3.1 General site basemap Figure 3.2 Excavation map, Ray Dickson, 1934 Figure 3.3 Excavation map, Paul Hahn, 1953 Figure 3.4 Basemap, Lillian Seaberg-Paul Hahn excavations, 1951 Figure 3.5 Test unit maps, Lillian Seaberg excavation, 1951 Figure 3.6 Northern excavation trench, 1951 Porter-Cooper project Figure 3.7 Cross section, 1951 linear trench feature Figure 3.8 1951 excavation units Figure 3.10 Feature 85 (1958 excavation trench) at 435N 508E Figure 3.11 Feature 85 (1958 excavation trench)at 414N 521E Figure 3.12 Hahn map overlaid on current 8-SJ-31 basemap Figure 4.1 Locations of excavations at the Menéndez settlement, 1976-2007 Figure 4.2 Basic stratigraphic sequences at 8-SJ-31 Figure 4.3 1976 survey basemap, Luccketti 1977 Figure 4.4 8-SJ-31 West. Excavation features and stratigraphy Figure 4.5 Topographic contours SW area of 8-SJ-31 (Menéndez site) Figure 4.6 East-west profile through the south shell midden at 421N Figure 4.7 Menendez-era features, SW quadrant 8-SJ-31 (to 2002) Figure 4.8 Menendez era barrel well, Features 8-9 Figure 4.9 Linear trenches associated with Spanish structures (Profiles) Figure 4.10 Linear trenches associated with Spanish structures (Plan views) Figure 4.11 Intrusive vineyard ditches at Santa Elena, South Carolina Figure 4.12 8-SJ-31 Feature 84 complex Figure 4.13 Block 4 trenches Figure 4.14 Block 4 trench profiles Figure 4.15 Details, north-south northern trenches Figure 4.16 Central Area Features Figure 4.17 Feature 30 Figure 4.18 Feature 73 Figure 4.19 Feature 36 Figure 4.20 Feature 82-Rectangular pit Figure 5.1 Ground penetrating radar anomalies, 2002-2006 Figure 5.2 Locations of shovel tests, 8-SJ-31 iv Figure 5.3 Distribution of St. Johns pottery in shovel tests Figure 5.4 Distribution of San Marcos pottery in shovel tests Figure 5.5 Distribution of all colonial European material from shovel tests Figure 5.6 Hypothetical location of Timucua Cacique’s structure Figure 5.7 Architectural model of a hypothetical cacique’s house Figure 5.8 Locations of 2006-2007 excavations, 8-SJ-31 Figure 5.9 Feature 132 shell deposit, 460N 445E Figure 5.10 Location of soil stains representing precontact shoreline Figure 5.11 Exploratory Trench 06-1 North Profile Drawing Figure 5.12 Exploratory Trench 06-1 North profile, Sections 3-5 Figure 5.13 Feature 146, PM 5 Figure 5.14 Well and wall trench features, 440N 550E Figure 5.15 Unit 440N 550, East profile with barrel well Figure 5.16 Artifacts from Feature 143 (Barrel well). Figure 5.17 Candleholder, shell cup and Olive Jar from Feature 143 Figure 5.18 Feature 135 (Linear trench) in 440N 550E Figure 5.19 N-S profile at 528.5 E Figure 5.20 439N 526E Plan View Figure 5.21 Feature 144 Ash pit or Hearth Figure 5.22 Feature 147, Dog Burial Figure 5.23 Dog burial excavation Figure 5.24 Features 149 and 159 in Exploratory Trench 06-2 Figure 5.25 Feature 150 (2006) in relation the Feature 58 (2000) Figure 5.26 Unit 430N 513E, plan view of features Figure 5.27 Feature 152, Area 2 and Postmold 4, 430N 513E Figure 5.28 Locations of large posts (F.30 and F 36) and floor areas (F22) hypothesized as part of a central structure Figure 5.29 Feature 153 Figure 5.30 Unit 447N 518E Plan View Figure 5.31 Unit 438N 518E Plan View Figure 5.32 Excavation underway in site center (447N 512E) and northern area (481N 499E) Figure 5.33 Feature 163 Figure 5.34 Location of 2007 test trenches in relation to the Hahn map Figure 5.35 1951 surveyors stake in base of 486N 463.5E Figure 5.36 480N 462E and 486N 463.5E: Plan view Figure 5.37 Plan view of features in northeastern test trenches Figure 5.38 469.5N 534 profiles, showing 1951 excavation trench Figure 5.39 469.5N 534 1951 surveyors stake and postmold with point in base Figure 5.40 Feature 32 trench sections Figure 5.41 Feature 32 West, plan view photos Figure 5.42 Profiles, 2007 north test trenches showing Feature 32W Figure 5.43 Relative alignments of north-south trenches to Feature 32 east west trench Figure 6.1 St.