ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The St. Augustine Lighthouse has guided ships for generations, but the historical past surrounding it is still being uncovered at the moment.
Inside a laboratory next door, archaeologists fastidiously extract and examine artifacts recovered from shipwrecks, revealing clues about the folks, ships and commerce that formed America’s previous.
Visitors can get a firsthand look at that work while exploring one of Florida’s most recognizable historic landmarks.
It may look like nothing more than a large previous rock to the bare eye. But put it under an X-ray, and Andrew Thomson can present you what’s actually hiding inside.
“All of these are tacks which would have been used for upholstery,” said Andrew Thomson, archaeological conservator at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.
The rock-like materials, recognized as concretion, was discovered about a mile offshore from the lighthouse.
Inside, Thomson discovers a puzzle of historic objects, each providing another clue about the area’s maritime historical past.
“So, we are working backwards to see if we can answer your questions about who was coming by sea to this first port,” Thomson said.
Methodically, Thomson works to excavate the artifacts locked inside the hardened materials.
The course of requires endurance and precision, and uncovering the objects can take months or even years.
“This is a gun flint,” Thomson said, revealing another piece of the previous.
Once recovered, the historic finds are studied, dated, and preserved.
Visitors can peer into the working laboratory and watch conservators at work, just steps away from the well-known lighthouse.
The tower itself has a lengthy historical past. Joseph Kent, director of curatorial affairs at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, says the construction stays an essential half of the metropolis’s maritime heritage.
“It was constructed in 1871, completed in 1874, and it stands at 165 feet in the air and is still an operational lighthouse even to this day,” Kent said.
Visitors can climb the historic tower, with about 219 steps main to the high.
Along the manner, there are several locations to cease and relaxation before reaching the commentary degree, roughly 165 ft above the floor.
On a clear day, the reward is a sweeping view of the surrounding shoreline and historic metropolis.
“Well, you can see in all directions, and it’s about 20 miles in any direction when it’s very clear. Gorgeous. You can see everything from Matanzas Inlet, the Atlantic Ocean, Anastasia State Park. A lot to see while you’re up there,” Kent said.
And there’s lots more to discover back on the floor.
Visitors can also watch volunteer boatbuilders exhibit conventional wood boatbuilding methods, including work impressed by the historical custom of crafting dugout canoes.
“Our guests get to see an actual boat, wooden boat, being put together from forms all the way up to the final finished product,” said Roland Stonaker, a boatbuilder.
From painstaking archaeological discoveries to conventional boatbuilding and spectacular views from the high of the tower, the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum affords guests a likelihood to expertise Florida’s previous while serving to uncover the tales that might otherwise stay hidden.
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