Free lecture: “Digging Deeper in the Dry Tortugas”

Thursday, 1/14/2010

On Thursday, January 14th at 7:00 pm, Dr. Michele Williams and Brian Conesa will present their data and photos about the excavations in the parade grounds at Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. This venture was sponsored by the Everglades National Park Service during Archaeology Month in 2009. Fort Jefferson is a six-sided building constructed of sixteen million hand-made red bricks, with the lighthouse being built in 1825. It was designated as a National Monument in 1935, and on October 26, 1992, the monument was upgraded to National Park status. A multi-phased, multi-year preservation project to stabilize Fort Jefferson has begun. The plan will include removing existing brick, documenting, cleaning then reusing these bricks with some parts of the park not accessible at times.

The free lecture “Digging Deeper in the Dry Tortugas” will be held at the Visitor Center Auditorium at the Deering Estate at Cutler. In partnership with the Archaeological Society of Southern Florida, a non-profit, volunteer organization which acts as a support mechanism for the office of the Miami-Dade County Archaeologist, the Deering Estate at Cutler presents a free lecture (the second Thursday of each month) highlighting unique and interesting connections to our past. This serves as a focal point for local archaeology enthusiasts and professionals in the field, and helps to promote knowledge and appreciation of native archaeological and historical sites in the South Florida area.

About the speakers:
Michele Williams, Ph.D., RPA is the Director and Terrestrial Archaeologist for the Southeastern Region of Florida Public Archaeology Network. Dr. Williams has participated in digs throughout the southeastern United States for the past 20 years. Her specialty within archaeology is the use of plants by prehistoric Native Americans.

Brian Conesa, Archaeological Society of Southern Florida Board member and officer, was invited to participate on this adventure and will assist Michele in the presentation.