Florida Coin Beads

[Jolly Mon]

Florida anthropologist


I am sorry if I am boring anyone with these links, but I had no idea how many interesting articles were in this publication.

 

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[Zodiacdiverdave]

Very interesting stuff there Jolly Mon, keep em coming.
ZDD

 

[Salvor6]

Yes, thats fascinating Jolly. Do you have more?

 

[Jolly Mon]

Yes, thats fascinating Jolly. Do you have more?

Well, my basic point as of now is that there are some awfully good articles in back issues of The Florida Anthropologist...

Incidentally though, some interesting finds of similar beads have been made in mounds outside of areas one might normally expect. There is some really good information in some of the old anthropology texts available in the public domain.

Another fascinating thing is to read the back issues and to see how much the stance of the professional archaeologists in Florida has changed vis a vis the amateur.

Up until fairly recently there were actually articles written to aid amateurs in the field and in conservation. Boy, how things have changed...

 

[ScubaFinder]

You are not boring us at all Jollly Mon, quite the contrary. I get all of the new issues and I almost always end up reading them cover to cover because it is all interesting. They do some good work, and its nice to see them sharing their data.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Love these links!

 

[Southern_Digger]

Jolly Mon! These links are not boring... they are educational. When beads--silver, gold or othewise are found in mounds or middens; it is a sign that a shipwreck is in the area or wealth had been confiscated from the spanish, such as in the case of Menendez.

In the 1970's I was fortunate to view a private collection of nearly 50, 8X16 riker cases of treasure dug from such inland sites in SW Florida. These included various glass beads including some rare ones from pre-1500 or 1800 portugal which then were worth $40 each--I was told they came from the town who preserved glassmaking secrets by dispatching anyone who attempted to leave the town. There were many drilled coins, 18th & 19th century. Many coins, both gold & silver, were hammered out to 4-6" wide breast plates. The face coins had the necks slashed and often a large "X" or "+" was scratched across the image. Some of these breast plates had stick figures carved on them of man with spears; and, running & jumping deer. Also in the collection were solid gold and silver enlongated beads, many up to 3/4" in length, some with small carvings such as deer stick-figures. All this was found on Caloosa sites and was determined to be some of the treasure siezed by the Indians from Menendez. The same owner also had early Spanish Onion bottles also found on these inland sites. To the best of my knowledge, these sites are now part of the Big Cypress Preserve and other state and government owned areas. Also, some of it may have come from Useppa, which, I am told, is now definitely off limits to the public. Notably, in the 70's, a man dug and found a pair of Ocarinas' in SW Florida and these were supposedly from the Carib Indians, with a connection to the Myans. I was a club member of Stuart Auerbach's Kellyco when this was revealed to us at an annual yearly dinner in Orlando.

BTW, I spent several years combing Punta Rassa and found very little. I was too late when the 1837 site of Fort Dulaney was built over by a condo. However, much of it had washed away anyhow. I did get to search a few of the yards of the houses; and took a tour of the old cable house, courtesy of the owner who converted it into a home. Punta Rassa was the site where the first underwater communication cable (telegraph?) was laid between the US and Havanna. It came up at Punta Rassa. It was this cable house who first heard word of the sinking of the USS Maine. The owner was attempting to have it preserved as a museum. Unfortunately, when I returned after being away five years, I found the cable house and all the houses have been demolished. I did search a bit after that and located the site where, an army company attempted to land and establish the Punta Rassa Post (circa 1856)--they were attacked by Seminoles as they attempted to land and a skirmish ensued. I was able to determine the site of that skirmish before the entire point was developed. As for the midden/mound where the coin beads were found, I am uncertain of where, but it was most likely in the area of the Fort Dulaney site at the northern tip.

The Florida Antropology is a great guide because it is proven discoveries by scholars that proves Florida's early historical strife and depicts the opportunities that exist hidden under her soil. I was honored to have had the opportunity to do some graphics for FA on the Archeologist, Wilma Williams articles. These included sites with prehistoric bundle burial--after body is decomposed, prehistorics and historic natives placed skull on top of crossed leg/arm bones and buried them in that manner. Hence, the origin of the pirate flag as it was a warning of impending death, and these natives were feared greatly by the Europeans.

Regards SD