Melbourne in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Pentoaya
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 2, 2015
1. Pentoaya Marker
Inscription.
Pentoaya. . The Ais Indian town of Pentoaya is thought to have been located atop the arc-shaped sand bluffs that surround the western edge of what is now Ballard Park. Pentoaya was an important prehistoric Indian settlement on the east coast of Florida, and was one of ten towns recorded on Alvaro Mexia’s 1605 map of Indian habitation sites. The segment of the Indian River Lagoon that stretches from this site to Floridana Beach was once called Pentoaya Lagoon. Like many Ais villages located along the Indian River Lagoon, the wintertime location of Pentoaya was along a barrier island near present-day Gleason Park in Indian Harbor Beach, while this site probably served as Pentoaya’s primary location during the rest of the year. Artifacts found here date from as early as 2000 BC to as late as AD 1700, and range from fiber-tempered Orange pottery to more recent Malabar II check-stamped pottery. Pentoaya’s location where the Eau Gallie and Indian rivers meet would have contributed to its economic and political importance among the Ais and their ancestors. The main settlement of the Ais Indians , their paramount village , was located at the Kroegel homestead, just south of the city of Sebastian in Indian River County.
The Ais Indian town of Pentoaya is thought to have been located atop the arc-shaped sand bluffs that surround the western edge of what is now Ballard Park. Pentoaya was an important prehistoric Indian settlement on the east coast of Florida, and was one of ten towns recorded on Alvaro Mexia’s 1605 map of Indian habitation sites. The segment of the Indian River Lagoon that stretches from this site to Floridana Beach was once called Pentoaya Lagoon. Like many Ais villages located along the Indian River Lagoon, the wintertime location of Pentoaya was along a barrier island near present-day Gleason Park in Indian Harbor Beach, while this site probably served as Pentoaya’s primary location during the rest of the year. Artifacts found here date from as early as 2000 BC to as late as AD 1700, and range from fiber-tempered Orange pottery to more recent Malabar II check-stamped pottery. Pentoaya’s location where the Eau Gallie and Indian rivers meet would have contributed to its economic and political importance among the Ais and their ancestors. The main settlement of the Ais Indians — their paramount village — was located at the Kroegel homestead, just south of the city of Sebastian in Indian River County.
Erected 2013 by The Brevard County Historical Commission, The Brevard County Tourist
Click or scan to see this page online
Development Council and The Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-800.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Native Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1605.
Location. 28° 7.518′ N, 80° 37.488′ W. Marker is in Melbourne, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker can be reached from Thomas Barbour Drive, half a mile north of U.S. 1. The marker is located in Ballard Park. The marker can be viewed by pedestrians in the park, or from watercraft on the Eau Gallie River. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 924 Thomas Barbour Drive, Melbourne FL 32935, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 14, 2023
2. Pentoaya Marker on Shore of Eau Gallie River
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 2, 2015
3. Pentoaya Marker and Ballard Park from Across the Eau Gallie River
The marker is roughly in the center in this view.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 958 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on May 2, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 2. submitted on May 14, 2023, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 3. submitted on May 2, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.