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Wednesday, September 4, 2002
They came, they saw, they dug
By Mary Lou Schropp | News-Journal Correspondent
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — The reasons volunteers came to dig for artifacts in Myrtle Avenue Park on Saturday were as varied as the bits and pieces of history that they uncovered.
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Digging history |
Smokey Drew of New Smyrna Beach was looking for her family history. Thanks to a Catholic priest traveling with the area's original Minorcan settlers who recorded births, deaths and marriages in a "Golden Book," she can trace her roots to the New Smyrna Colony that existed between 1768 and 1777.
Leigh Matusick and Shirley Schild both accompanied young daughters who are interested in archaeology. Kayla Matusick, a ninth-grader at DeLand High School, has already traveled to digs in Wales, China and Peru. Jacque Schild, a seventh-grader at Edgewater's Discovery Days Academy, is especially interested in Egyptology.
Joel Heizmann said that he has found artifacts in his Oak Hill neighborhood and he's thinking about incorporating archaeology into his senior project next year at New Smyrna Beach High School.
John Nichols, a former archaeologist now living in Orlando, was looking for some way to get back in the field "just for fun."
After three hours of digging and sifting, the band of about 25 volunteers backed by professional archaeologists from Southeastern Archaeological Research Inc. (SEARCH) found shards of mortar, animal bone fragments, a rusty hook, a small, black marble, a bit of ironware and a bottle top that could be as much as 100 years old.
It was enough to make the dig, which was opened to the public, a success, according to Andrea White, SEARCH project director.
"It was a good educational experience and I think it increased public awareness of the history of this area," she said. "We can only speculate about the age of the mortar. The pieces found here will go to our lab in Gainesville to be washed and analyzed."
Even if none of the artifacts uncovered prove to be from the colony, they still are valuable to help create a complete history of the area, White added.
The location of Saturday's dig was selected because it was at the juncture of two canals that dated from the era of the New Smyrna Colony. Also, the park at Canal Street and Myrtle Avenue is public property and accessible to volunteers.
The dig was part of a survey funded by a grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources with matching funds from Volusia County and the cities of Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater. The purpose of the grant is to uncover colonial remains that would support the inclusion of the region in the National Register of Historic Places. SEARCH was contracted to conduct the survey.
Roger Grange, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of South Florida and a volunteer assistant on the project, said the dig produced some basic information on the stratification of the topography that will aid future research. Diggers excavated clearly defined layers that included topsoil, red clay, crushed shell, gray canal sand and the brown sand that was prominent in the area about 100 years ago before hitting water.
"This may sound strange but just seeing the sand that Minorcans walked on was a big thrill for me. It makes me feel connected to my history," said volunteer Drew. "I used to play at this park as a child. It's just awesome to know that my ancestors may have lived right on this spot."
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