After a short day of screening, I accompanied the archaeologist Bruce Piatek to the
Old Fort Park in New Smyrna Beach. A far as what type of information was present at the site, well to be truthful, there was none at all. No pamphlets, no plaques or boards stating the history of the site, and no one to talk to about any questions we may have had, and I had plenty.
As far as first impressions, it was evident that this site may have been a part of the Turnbulll Colony, and the theory was that this foundation was the site of his palace overlooking the water. I for one don't believe this theory. It was clearly not used as church, which is another theory, because it does seem there was sections designated for weapons or possibly a lookout area. Also, the walls of the structure are much to thick, as if they were protecting or storing something.
There are no doorways to move from room to room, although after construction of an outer wall was completed during the Great Depression, I can see some new additions blocking off any openings there may have been on the east side. There was also bastion constructed at the same time, which leads me to believe that this may have been a
fort.
It really is a mystery, and when I noticed the thick concrete running down the center, I ventured a guess that it may have been used to construct ships.
No further research has been done on this site, as I'm sure, the community believes it's not economically feasible to do so. Although, if the walls were taken down and the site was visible to to traffic, I think it would gain more interest due to the theories surrounding its construction.
One archaeologist believes that this was the original Castillo De San Marco, but no evidence til now has supported his theory.
In 1776, it was suggested that
a very large stone building was erected in the vicinity of New Smryna that was built as a "mansion house," but the true function of these ruins is unknown to historians and archaeologists.
This is what we do know:
The Old Fort Park Archeological Site is a historic site in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States. On July 10, 2008, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
This property is part of the Archeological Resources of the 18th-Century Smyrnea Settlement of Dr. Andrew Turnbull Multiple Property Submission, a Multiple Property Submission to the National Register.
So what does this look like to you? I would love to hear some of your suggestions, ideas, theories, and questions.
My archaeological excavations ended today as we dug our last poll hole near the railroad tracks. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working with Bruce Piatek and Resident Historian and Archaeologist Dot Moore. What we initially set out to find was the existence of the Old Kings Road that may have possibly ran through a neighborhood in New Smyrna.
