VIEW VIDEO courtesy ABC7 mysuncoast.com

About 7,200 years old and buried 21 feet deep below the Gulf of Mexico, 350 yards off Manasota Key is an extremely well preserved human burial site. Archaeologists are exploring what has been termed a “globally significant” discovery. National Geographic calls it an “unprecedented” find.

On Tuesday, March 27 at 7pm the Lemon Bay Historical Society will host a presentation at Fellowship Hall, Englewood United Methodist Church, 700 E. Dearborn St., Englewood, on this incredible find. Our guest speaker will be John McCarthy, Executive Director of Historic Spanish Point. A native Floridian, John has spent his entire adult life learning about and bringing awareness to the power of nature, heritage, recreation and civic engagement to build community identity, value and pride. He is best known for his passionate lectures and unconventional management style. John, also a tour guide and author, served as Sarasota County’s official historian (beginning at the age of 19) and went on to have a 32-year-career in County Government, serving 10 years as an Environmental Specialist

How was this site discovered? A diver picked up a barnacle-crusted jaw from a shallow spot off the shore of Manasota Key. The specimen sat on a paper plate in his kitchen for a couple weeks before he realized it was probably a human bone. The diver sent a picture to Florida’s Bureau of Archaeological Research, where it landed in front of Ryan Duggins, the bureau’s underwater archaeology supervisor.

“As soon as we were there (at the site) it became clear that we were dealing with something new,” Duggins recalls. First, he spotted a broken arm bone on the seabed. Then, when he noticed a cluster of carved wooden stakes and three separate skull fragments in a depression, Duggins realized he might be dealing with a Native American bog burial site—one that had been inundated by sea level rise, but was miraculously preserved.

“What we currently are thinking is that when an individual passed, they would have been wrapped in handwoven fibers and sunk to the bottom of the pond,” he explained. “A series of fire-hardened and sharpened stakes would be pounded into the pond bed around the body with the tops of those stakes protruding above the water line.”

Despite the murky water, several aqua archaeologists measured and marked the ocean floor with the help of laser guided equipment. Each waterproof white tag marks intricate details of this sacred ground below the sea.

The site, which measures roughly 0.75 acres dates back to the Early Archaic period, over 7,000 years ago, a time when Florida’s hunter-gatherers were living a more sedentary lifestyle, researchers say.

Learn all about this unprecedented find at the first public presentation on this significant and sacred burial site.

John McCarthy is Executive Director at Spanish Point as well as a writer for Sarasota Magazine. He served over 10 years an an Environmental Specialist for Sarasota County responsible for providing environmental and development review for coastal resource protection and coordination of resource monitoring and enhancement projects. Mr McCarthy was Sarasota County Historian from 1982 to 1988.

Join us on Tuesday, March 27 at 7pm at Fellowship Hall, Englewood United Methodist Church, 700 E. Dearborn St., Englewood. A $10 donation is requested to help save Englewood’s historic Green Street Church.

Gene Murtha, President of the Punta Gorda History Center and Margaret Bogartus, President of the Punta Gorda Historical Society gave a power point presentation about the dedicated efforts and wonderful successes made in the name of historic preservation in Charlotte County.

They discussed the history of the beautifully preserved Train Depot as well as the Woman’s Club which opened in 1925 and was at one time the area’s first community library. They also talked about History Park, a unique collection of historic buildings with a past including the Maxwell Price House. Price was an architect best known for designing the Punta Gorda jail house, just to name a few.

December 12th
7:00 PM
at the Historic
Green Street Church

From “fish ranches” to phosphate shipping; from the “Grand Plan” with Grand Hotels to Boom and Bust and Boom again – learn about one of Southwest Florida’s first planned communities: Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island.

Betsy Fugate Joiner, director of the Boca Grande Historical Society, will share some stories about her life growing up in Boca Grande. She is a 3rd generation member of the Fugate Family of Boca Grande (you may know of Fugate’s Drug Store and Delmar Fugate’s Pink Elelphant). She is also a 4th generation Florida Cracker. Her father was actually born on Banyan Street in 1912. Her mother, Margaret was a teacher at Boca Grande High School, beginning in 1939 and then moved to Lemon Bay School in 1963 as Librarian and Spanish teacher when the school closed.

In addition, Betsy is Chair of the Boca Grande History Byte program which is held each season in February on Wednesday mornings at the Johann Fust Library.  The “Byte” program began with Sallie Van Italie’s idea in 2009 about having people share their stories in an informal setting.

Betsy is also General Manager at PJ’s Seagrille in Boca Grande, located inside the Historic San Marco Theatre Building.

Also speaking will be Pat Agles, Director of the Boca Grande Historical Society who will give a presentation on how the Society came about and where they are today. Pat, a founding member of the Boca Grande Historical Society, was owner of Galleria of Boca Grande from 1993-2005. She is Director of Product Development and licensing for the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village and is also Chair of the docent program at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral Basilica in Santa Fe, NM. There she is a Team Member/Artist for the restoration of the Cathedral’s interior murals for a Celebration with the King of Spain.

We also expect a visit from Karen Grace, BGHS President. Karen & husband Jim are past owners of the historic Temptation Restaurant.

A Bit About the Boca Grande Historical Society:

“Four couples began the BGHS in 1995. It was the sesquicentennial of our state. To announce our founding, we had a fun historical/hysterical skit at the railroad depot on the train tracks. After a crowd gathered, we announced the news and the society was born. We operated for awhile in the Van Itallies kitchen. The island was growing quickly and we knew the importance of collecting stories/oral histories and photographs before these treasures disappeared.

“We are still active in the business of collecting these priceless histories and making them more easily available for viewing to our community. We invite all to come for a visit or perhaps a docent led walking/golf cart tour of our historic village of Boca Grande.”

WEBSITE: bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com

Carol Leonard from Coastal Wildlife Club, Turtle Patrol will be sharing her experiences with turtles, as well as important information on how the public can help the turtle population. She will also answer audience questions.

Carol has degrees in Zoology and Marine Science Education and is a retired Lemon Bay High School teacher. She is a past President of the Florida Marine Science Education Assoc.

Come join the ELBOW gang (Englewood Little Band of Writers) at the Green Street Church for a fun-for-all family Sing-A-Long!

August 29th, 7pm

For only a $5.00 donation fee it will be an evening you will long remember and proceeds will go to
help rescue the Historic Green Street Church.

DOWNLOAD SONG SHEET: WORDS

DOWNLOAD WORDS & CHORDS (for musicians)

August 27th:

12 – 2pm: Historic Green Street Church Museum Open House

 1 – 4pm: Visit the proposed new site for the Historic Green Street Church, on the south side of the Lemon Bay Cemetery  

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE MAP &  BROCHURE

Sunday, August 20: Choose 1 to 4pm OR 4 to 7pm to bowl 3 games, bowling shoes included

Englewood Bowl, 299 S. Indiana Ave. 

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION & RULES

Author, speaker, international traveler, ship captain and retired business Owner D L Havlin will be our Guest Speaker

Tuesday, March 28th at 7pm at the Historic Green Street Church.

“My books are stories about life; about how great and how testing it can be.  Writing at my ‘mature’ age is an advantage when discussing living; I’ve experienced it and don’t have to utilize conjecture.  History is often my brick-mason for it can provide a building in which my story can live and breathe.  Writing fantasy, sci-fi, or other work requiring that there be no reality fences, I cede to the young author where the lack of restricting rationale is beneficial.”

DL currently lives in southwest Florida with his wife Jeanelle, his golden retriever Sandy, and cat Oreo. He loves the outdoors (fishing is his passion), music, football, and cooking.