Titusville in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Windover Archaeological Site
Photographed By Jamie Cox, December 2, 2011
1. Windover Archaeological Site Marker
Inscription.
Windover Archaeological Site. . Discovered by accident in 1982, the Windover site is a burial place of Early Native Americans who inhabited this region 7,000 to 8,000 years ago. The burials were placed underwater in the peat of the shallow pond. This peat helped to preserve normally perishable artifacts and human tissues. The site contains the largest skeletal sample in the New World and the oldest bottle gourd found north of Mexico - two features that add to its significance. It also includes the largest and most complex sample of early textiles in the New World, a pollen record from the end of the Pleistocene to Recent Eras and recovery of some of the oldest DNA from brain tissue and bone. The remarkable state of preservation has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct some of the earliest New World diets based on contents from their stomachs and on scientific analysis. The site has produced the largest and most complex textile collection ever recovered from an Early Archaic period site. It also yielded a remarkable organic artifact inventory including wood and fibers. Archaeologists from Florida State University were among those who explored the Windover site.
Discovered by accident in 1982, the Windover site is a burial place of Early Native Americans who inhabited this region 7,000 to 8,000 years ago. The burials were placed underwater in the peat of the shallow pond. This peat helped to preserve normally perishable artifacts and human tissues. The site contains the largest skeletal sample in the New World and the oldest bottle gourd found north of Mexico - two features that add to its significance. It also includes the largest and most complex sample of early textiles in the New World, a pollen record from the end of the Pleistocene to Recent Eras and recovery of some of the oldest DNA from brain tissue and bone. The remarkable state of preservation has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct some of the earliest New World diets based on contents from their stomachs and on scientific analysis. The site has produced the largest and most complex textile collection ever recovered from an Early Archaic period site. It also yielded a remarkable organic artifact inventory including wood and fibers. Archaeologists from Florida State University were among those who explored the Windover site.
Erected 2002 by the Brevard County Historical Commission and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-486.)
Location. 28° 32.958′ N, 80° 50.755′ W. Marker is in Titusville, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker is at the intersection of Windover Way and Windover Trail on Windover Way. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Titusville FL 32780, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Marker is near the larger Windover Farms subdivision sign.
Additional commentary.
Photographed By Diane Murphy, March 2024
2. Windover Archaeological Site Marker
1. National Historic Landmark The Windover Archaeological Site was recognized by the U.S. National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark in 1987 (#87000810). The agency noted that Windover "represents one of the largest collections of human skeletal material from its time period (Early Archaic) and one of the largest collections of fiber arts yet found at any archeological site in the New World."
— Submitted April 13, 2014, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida.
Additional keywords. archaeology dig
Photographed By Diane Murphy, March 2024
3. Windover Archaeological Site Marker
Photographed By Jamie Cox, December 2, 2011
4. Windover Farms Subdivision Sign
The Windover Archaelogical site is named for the Windover Farms subdivision which was being built when the site was discovered.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,560 times since then and 286 times this year. Last updated on October 15, 2012, by Ray King of Jacksonville, Florida. Photos:1. submitted on December 2, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on March 9, 2024, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida. 4. submitted on December 2, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.