"Dr. Bense and her colleagues are resurrecting a lost community, the colonial predecessor of modern Pensacola, from the long-neglected archaeological remnants and archival documents of Spanish and British colonists."--Gregory A. Waselkov, University of South Alabama
"The wonderful rich history of Pensacola and West Florida has been kept under wraps much too long. Five outstanding historians and archaeologists present a vivid record of the life and times of Colonial Pensacola and its environs. It is a great history both for the professional and the general reader."--Samuel Proctor, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Florida
Beneath the modern city of Pensacola and its surrounding waters, the colonial past is abundantly preserved. This is the first book to examine those archaeological riches.
Offering a new perspective on the city that anchored European settlement on the Gulf Coast, this collection provides a major contribution to the archaeology and history of Florida and adjoining states, especially during the Late Colonial period (1750-1821), when Pensacola moved through Spanish, then British, then Spanish occupation.
With its description of the exciting nautical heritage of Pensacola--including details of spectacular underwater finds--the book contains the first new information about colonial Pensacola available in decades. In addition, it discusses the role of Creek Indians in the British and Second Spanish periods and their importance in the emergence of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians. It also describes the Pensacola community involvement in archaeological issues, an aspect of this research that has received national recognition.
Contents
1. Introduction, by Judith A. Bense
2. Pensacola, 1686 to 1821, by William S. Coker
3. Indians in West Florida in the Colonial and Territorial Periods, by Jane E. Dysart
4. Colonial Maritime Resources in Pensacola, by Roger C. Smith
5. Archaeology of Late Colonial Pensacola, by Judith A. Bense
6. Historical and Archaeological Context and Comparisons, by Judith A. Bense
7. Public Interpretation and Presentation of Colonial Historical Archaeology in Pensacola, by Thomas Muir, Jr.
Judith A. Bense, professor of archaeology at the University of West Florida, Pensacola, is the author of Archaeology of the Southeastern United States: Paleoindian to World War II, as well as articles in Journal of American Archaeology and Encyclopedia of North American Archaeology.
