Melbourne in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Pentoaya

Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 2, 2015

1. Pentoaya Marker

Inscription. 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

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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 Development Council and The Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-800.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. 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. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s Space Coast.

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,

Pentoaya Marker on Shore of Eau Gallie River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 14, 2023

2. Pentoaya Marker on Shore of Eau Gallie River

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 South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A tribute to Thomas Barbour (here, next to this marker); Eau Gallie Yacht Club (within shouting distance of this marker); Ballard House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hodgson Brothers Store and Boatways (about 400 feet away); Hodgson Home and Drugstore (about 700 feet away); Breckenridge Landing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of First Houston Homestead (approx. 0.2 miles away); Houston Pioneer Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Gen. John B. Castleman House (was about 700 feet away but has been confirmed missing).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Pentoaya Marker and Ballard Park from Across the Eau Gallie River image. Click for full size.

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 2,578 times since then and 89 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.