Historic District in St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Ancient Civilization Uncovered!

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 16, 2021

1. Ancient Civilization Uncovered! Marker

Inscription. In 1934, laborers at the Fountain of Youth began work to cultivate a citrus grove here on the property. Almost immediately, a shovel thrust unearthed a cluster of human bones. The sheriff was called and it was soon determined that neither the graves, nor the bones, were recent. Local archaeologists contacted the Smithsonian Institution, which sent specialists to St. Augustine from Washington, D.C. Ultimately, after preliminary analyses and digs, the effort shifted into a full-scale archaeological investigation that would continue for the next five years. By the time the digs were completed and reports filed, 94 Christian burials of indigenous peoples were uncovered, studied, and documented. Virtually overnight, the Fountain of Youth Park became a historical site of unprecedented depth based upon irrefutable evidence. What exactly is meant by the term "indigenous Christian burials"? The Indians who occupied these grave sites were converts of the Catholic Mission efforts in St. Augustine. Upon their deaths they were buried in a ritualistic manner that emphasized their conversions, even as they lay in the grave. Their remains

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were positioned to reflect their new faith, including the crossing of arms and the prone, flat-on-their-backs placement of the corpses. Upon further investigation, it became evident that there were two ancient burial grounds involved. M.W. Sterling of the Smithsonian states that "it is quite probable that the historic Indian village here was located on the same ground as an earlier prehistoric one..." One interesting note about the digs is that the remains of the pre-Columbian-era burials show evidence of healthier teeth! This letter by M. W. Sterling signifies the extreme importance that was placed on this project in Washington, D.C. Not only had the nation's leading archaeologists at the Smithsonian Institution come to St. Augustine to examine the remains of one set of ancient burials, but they discovered there were even older native burials that pre-dated the arrival of Europeans. As Vernon Lamme, the first State Archeologist of Florida and frequent visitor to this site, stated in his letter of October 25, 1935:
"The conclusion must be reached that the lower or earlier burials must have been made several centuries before the landing of Ponce de Leon in 1513... There is a possibility that the earlier prone burials may be found under the entire property."

Topics.

Marker photo image. Click for full size.

2. Marker photo

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.

Location. 29° 54.397′ N, 81° 18.931′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is in the Historic District. It can be reached from Williams Street east of Magnolia Avenue. Marker is located along the interpretive trail in Ponce de León's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Magnolia Avenue, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum

3. Marker photo

South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Coontie (a few steps from this marker); 1565 Menendez (a few steps from this marker); 1513 La Florida (a few steps from this marker); Juan Ponce (a few steps from this marker); 4,000 BC (a few steps from this marker); Spanish Cannon (a few steps from this marker); Tabby / Coquina (a few steps from this marker); Spanish Bayonet (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Ponce de León's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park

Also see . . . The Nombre de Dios Mission Sites.

In 1934, a gardener who was planting orange trees on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth Park discovered human burials, laid out in the Christian fashion. The owner of the site, Walter B. Fraser, contacted the Smithsonian Institution, and archaeologist J. Ray Dickson subsequently conducted extensive excavations there. Archaeological work since 1934 has shown that the initial site of the Nombre de Dios mission church was in
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 16, 2021

4. Ancient Civilization Uncovered! Marker
the southwestern section of what is today the Fountain of Youth Park, about 165 meters southwest of the Menendez settlement area.
Another group of burials was uncovered by University of Florida student Paul Hahn in 1953, located about 20 meters to the south of the group discovered in 1934. These were also Christian interments, however they were buried facing north, unlike the first group of Christian burials excavated by Dickson, which were facing east.

(Submitted on December 27, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 447 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 27, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.