Indian Harbor Beach in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Winter-Time Ais Indian Town of Pentoaya

Photographed by Jamie Cox, March 2, 2012

1. Winter-Time Ais Indian Town of Pentoaya Marker

Inscription. In 1605 Florida's Spanish Governor Pedro de Ybarra sent Lt. Alvaro Mexia on a diplomatic mission to the Ais Indians. Mexia recorded his passage from St. Augustine down the coast to the principal Ais Indian town near present-day Vero Beach. At the confluence of Ulumay Lagoon (Banana River Lagoon) and the Great Bay of Ais (Indian River Lagoon) Mexia reported the location of the "winter-time" Ais Indian Town of Pentoaya. He recorded that the 17th century town of Pentoaya was located "directly opposite on the western mainland," near the confluence of the Eau Gallie and the Indian Rivers. The Winter-Time Town of Pentoaya was located between this park and the Banana River Lagoon, to the west. It consisted of a complex of shell middens, mounds and a causeway, which divided the small lake seen from this marker. Little remains of these mounds, as the shells found in them were used as roadbed material early in the 20th century. A Florida Heritage Site.

Erected 2005 by The Brevard County Historical Commission and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-487.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1605.

Location. 28° 8.576′ N, 80° 35.856′

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

W. Marker is in Indian Harbor Beach, Florida, in Brevard County. It can be reached from the intersection of South Patrick Drive and Yacht Club Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Melbourne FL 32940, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

It is also in the American South.

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 South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Eau Gallie Public Library (approx. 1.9 miles away); Harbor City Hotel (approx. 1.9 miles away); Population on the Rise (approx. 1.9 miles away); The William H. Gleason House (approx. 2 miles away); Hodgson Home and Drugstore (approx. 2 miles away); William H. Gleason Home (approx. 2 miles away); Breckenridge Landing (approx. 2 miles away); Corner of Highland and Eau Gallie Blvd. (approx. 2 miles away).

Other markers no longer nearby. Eau Gallie Bridge to the Beach (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Gen. John B. Castleman House (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. The marker is located in Lansing Gleason Park near the south end of the lake.

Regarding Winter-Time Ais Indian Town of Pentoaya. The name of the Ais Indian tribe is pronounced "Eyes".

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

Lansing Gleason Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, March 2, 2012

2. Lansing Gleason Park

Marker is beyond lake

Sign at Entrance to Lansing Gleason Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, March 2, 2012

3. Sign at Entrance to Lansing Gleason Park

The park entrance is off of Yacht Club Boulevard.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,756 times since then and 130 times this year. Last updated on May 4, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 3, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.