Latest news with #AndreaWhite
Fox News
19-04-2025
- General
- Fox News
Archaeologists uncover remnants of Florida's short-lived British past in St. Augustine: 'Always fascinating'
Archaeologists in the oldest city in the United States recently excavated part of an historic district — unearthing remnants of its short-lived British past. Fox News Digital spoke with Andrea White, a city archaeologist in St. Augustine, Florida, about the excavation. The project took place in the city's Lincolnville neighborhood and wrapped up in February. (See the video at the top of this article.) Archaeologists were digging at the site as they made way for construction and discovered the dried-up moat of a British redoubt, or small outpost. "We knew there were a series of British redoubts," White said. "In St. Augustine, everyone thinks about the Spanish period, but we actually had a 20-year period where the British were in control of both East and West Florida." St. Augustine was primarily a Spanish military town in the first 200 years of its history, beginning in 1565. Florida came under British control when Spain traded it for Havana, Cuba, which had been captured by the British. In 1763, through the Treaty of Paris, the British gained control of Florida and the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) ended. But the British inhabitants of St. Augustine still worried about attacks by the Spanish — hence the fortifications, according to numerous historical accounts. At the end of the American Revolution, the Spanish crown was given back control of Florida in exchange for some of their assistance to the British. The Sunshine State didn't become U.S. territory until 1821. "The Spanish actually attacked both [the port of] Mobile and Pensacola," White said. "So there was a great fear that there could be an attack on St. Augustine." "A series of these small redoubts were constructed sort of surrounding the historic town with plans to actually connect them by a series of walls and defensive moats," White added. "But that kind of never came to fruition because the American Revolution ended, and so did the threat to the British at the time." One of the most surprising parts of the excavation, first reported by The Associated Press, was not what the archaeologists found, but what they didn't find. "We know there's at least six additional [redoubts] out there." White told Fox News Digital the artifacts they uncovered were few and far between. "In [an] urban context, we're used to finding tons of artifacts because people have lived here for over 4,000 years, but in this case, it was really the lack of artifacts that surprised us," the historian said. "So we might've found a few pieces of pottery, a couple of pieces of [shotgun pellets], little pieces of lead that would've been used to fire out of a gun," she said. But while many people may think archaeology is just about digging up artifacts, White encouraged a broader perspective about the field. "Everyone associates archaeology with finding things, and it's really the information that we're after as archaeologists," White said. She added, "[It's] not what you find, but what you'd find out." One of the most interesting takeaways was the amount of seeds in the moat, which had survived thanks to the environmental conditions. "They were really well-preserved because it's kind of in the water table at this point in time. The water table has risen over the last few centuries," she noted. "So we've just started working with an ethnobotanist … and she's been starting to help us study these plant remains, these seeds. We're hoping to learn a lot more." White also said the redoubts were some of the only British-constructed fortifications in the city. When they took control of the territory, the British inhabitants usually reused Spanish infrastructure instead of building their own. "Everything else was either already here and the Spanish built it, and the British might've modified it a little — but this was something that was uniquely British," she said. "We know there's at least six additional [redoubts] out there." White added that she hopes the group finds "evidence … now that we sort of know what to look for, especially since there's not a lot of artifacts associated with them." St. Augustine's city archeology program conducts over 60 projects a year, with archaeologists constantly learning more about the city's past. At a time when many fascinating excavations are taking place across the world, from Europe to the Middle East, White emphasized the amount the U.S. has to offer in terms of archaeology. "I think sometimes we're surprised: 'Wait, there's archaeology in America, in our own backyard?'" she said. "Yes, there is archaeology everywhere." "It may not be as old as some people want to think, but there's stuff everywhere. [Archaeology is] always fascinating … and it's a great way to learn about ourselves today, too." Fox News Digital's Brooke Curto, as well as The Associated Press, contributed reporting.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Archeologists find surprise signs of British rule in Florida
Centuries-old buildings and a massive stone fort in St. Augustine, Florida, serve as enduring reminders of Spain's long history in the region, predating the United States by generations. However, for two decades in the 18th century, Great Britain held control, and archaeologists have recently unearthed evidence of their presence. City archaeologists in St. Augustine uncovered a dry moat belonging to a British redoubt, a fortified military outpost, dating back to 1781. The discovery, made last fall, came during excavations completed last month in the city's Lincolnville neighborhood, prior to the construction of a new home. This find sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of St. Augustine's rich history, highlighting the brief but significant period of British rule. 'St. Augustine had a 20-year British period,' city archeologist Andrea White said. 'They came, and they built seven of these redoubts, and nobody has ever found any archeologically. We have rough ideas of where they were, and they show up on historic maps. But we've never found actual, tangible, archeological evidence for any of them until recently.' The Spanish military built the Castillo de San Marcos in the late 1600s, and the fort remains on the western shore of Florida 's Matanzas Bay, though as a national monument rather than a military installation. When the British took control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine already had extensive Spanish-built defenses, but British officers were concerned about an attack from a nearby river and ordered the construction of the outposts along the city's western edge. White said Britain's relatively brief occupation of St. Augustine, which ended along with the American Revolution in 1783, has been largely forgotten by time, and the discovery of the fort is a way to reclaim a little piece of lost history. 'That's what's interesting about these British redoubts, they're the only defenses that the British built themselves,' White said. 'Everything else that's in St. Augustine or the surrounding area that everyone's familiar with, those were already built by the Spanish. And then the British just kind of reoccupied them.' The structure was discovered thanks to a unique archeological preservation ordinance adopted by St. Augustine in 1986, White said. Founded in 1565, the city is the oldest continuously occupied part of the U.S. to previously be a European settlement. To document and preserve that history, St. Augustine has its own archeology program that is part of the city's planning and permitting department. 'We get a chance to come in and document what's there prior to construction,' White said. 'We never stop construction, that's not the goal. It's just to give us a little bit of time to come in, document what might be there, learn a little bit more about our history, and then the project gets to move forward.' White knew the area under development had a long history, going back to a Native American mission in the early 1700s, followed later by an agricultural plantation and after the Civil War, the construction of the Lincolnville neighborhood. 'So we knew we had multiple centuries of history that could potentially be on the property, but we're pretty excited to actually find evidence,' White said. 'What we found evidence of was a large moat about 15 feet wide that would have been part of the rampart.' Researchers found few artifacts at the site and are still unsure about the fort's actual size and shape, but they did recover thousands of different types of seeds. White said they're working with a paleoethnobotanist, who studies the history of how humans and plants interact, to learn how the structure was built and used. It's possible that plants like Spanish bayonet or prickly pear cactuses were used to prevent erosion or to slow down attacking soldiers. 'So we're very hopeful that we might find some good information from our plant remains that we've recovered,' White said. Jason Heidgerken, the contractor working on the lot where the fort's moat was found, said the city's archeological program can certainly cause delays, but White and her team were great and communicating well, so he could adjust his timelines. 'I've been around St. Augustine since 1980 personally, and part of the attraction is the history,' Heidgerken said. 'So if you want to live there and do this kind of business, it's to be expected, and you need to have the patience for it.' Over the past four decades, the city's archeology program has completed more than 1,200 projects. Not only have researchers collected data from Spanish colonial times but also Native American settlements and villages going back 4,000 years. 'I actually think it's pretty cool what the city does. I'm a history nut myself,' Heidgerken said. 'I think it's pretty neat.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archeologists unearth signs from 1700s of British control in Florida after centuries of Spanish rule
The city of St. Augustine — with its centuries-old buildings and massive stone fort — is an enduring reminder of Spain's storied history in Florida, going back generations before the United States even existed. But for two decades in the 1700s, Great Britain controlled the region, and archeologists have finally found some of their long-sought-after footprints. City archeologists identified a dry moat last fall of a British redoubt, a fortified military outpost, that had been constructed in 1781. Excavations were completed last month in the city's Lincolnville neighborhood, making way for the construction of a new single-family home. 'St. Augustine had a 20-year British period,' city archeologist Andrea White said. 'They came, and they built seven of these redoubts, and nobody has ever found any archeologically. We have rough ideas of where they were, and they show up on historic maps. But we've never found actual, tangible, archeological evidence for any of them until recently.' The Spanish military built the Castillo de San Marcos in the late 1600s, and the fort remains on the western shore of Florida's Matanzas Bay, though as a national monument rather than a military installation. When the British took control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine already had extensive Spanish-built defenses, but British officers were concerned about an attack from a nearby river and ordered the construction of the outposts along the city's western edge. White said Britain's relatively brief occupation of St. Augustine, which ended along with the American Revolution in 1783, has been largely forgotten by time, and the discovery of the fort is a way to reclaim a little piece of lost history. 'That's what's interesting about these British redoubts, they're the only defenses that the British built themselves,' White said. 'Everything else that's in St. Augustine or the surrounding area that everyone's familiar with, those were already built by the Spanish. And then the British just kind of reoccupied them.' The structure was discovered thanks to a unique archeological preservation ordinance adopted by St. Augustine in 1986, White said. Founded in 1565, the city is the oldest continuously occupied part of the U.S. to previously be a European settlement. To document and preserve that history, St. Augustine has its own archeology program that is part of the city's planning and permitting department. 'We get a chance to come in and document what's there prior to construction,' White said. 'We never stop construction, that's not the goal. It's just to give us a little bit of time to come in, document what might be there, learn a little bit more about our history, and then the project gets to move forward.' White knew the area under development had a long history, going back to a Native American mission in the early 1700s, followed later by an agricultural plantation and after the Civil War, the construction of the Lincolnville neighborhood. 'So we knew we had multiple centuries of history that could potentially be on the property, but we're pretty excited to actually find evidence,' White said. 'What we found evidence of was a large moat about 15 feet wide that would have been part of the rampart.' Researchers found few artifacts at the site and are still unsure about the fort's actual size and shape, but they did recover thousands of different types of seeds. White said they're working with a paleoethnobotanist, who studies the history of how humans and plants interact, to learn how the structure was built and used. It's possible that plants like Spanish bayonet or prickly pear cactuses were used to prevent erosion or to slow down attacking soldiers. 'So we're very hopeful that we might find some good information from our plant remains that we've recovered,' White said. Jason Heidgerken, the contractor working on the lot where the fort's moat was found, said the city's archeological program can certainly cause delays, but White and her team were great and communicating well, so he could adjust his timelines. 'I've been around St. Augustine since 1980 personally, and part of the attraction is the history,' Heidgerken said. 'So if you want to live there and do this kind of business, it's to be expected, and you need to have the patience for it.' Over the past four decades, the city's archeology program has completed more than 1,200 projects. Not only have researchers collected data from Spanish colonial times but also Native American settlements and villages going back 4,000 years. 'I actually think it's pretty cool what the city does. I'm a history nut myself,' Heidgerken said. 'I think it's pretty neat.'
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Archeologists unearth signs from 1700s of British control in Florida after centuries of Spanish rule
The city of St. Augustine — with its centuries-old buildings and massive stone fort — is an enduring reminder of Spain's storied history in Florida, going back generations before the United States even existed. But for two decades in the 1700s, Great Britain controlled the region, and archeologists have finally found some of their long-sought-after footprints. City archeologists identified a dry moat last fall of a British redoubt, a fortified military outpost, that had been constructed in 1781. Excavations were completed last month in the city's Lincolnville neighborhood, making way for the construction of a new single-family home. 'St. Augustine had a 20-year British period,' city archeologist Andrea White said. 'They came, and they built seven of these redoubts, and nobody has ever found any archeologically. We have rough ideas of where they were, and they show up on historic maps. But we've never found actual, tangible, archeological evidence for any of them until recently.' The Spanish military built the Castillo de San Marcos in the late 1600s, and the fort remains on the western shore of Florida's Matanzas Bay, though as a national monument rather than a military installation. When the British took control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine already had extensive Spanish-built defenses, but British officers were concerned about an attack from a nearby river and ordered the construction of the outposts along the city's western edge. White said Britain's relatively brief occupation of St. Augustine, which ended along with the American Revolution in 1783, has been largely forgotten by time, and the discovery of the fort is a way to reclaim a little piece of lost history. 'That's what's interesting about these British redoubts, they're the only defenses that the British built themselves,' White said. 'Everything else that's in St. Augustine or the surrounding area that everyone's familiar with, those were already built by the Spanish. And then the British just kind of reoccupied them.' The structure was discovered thanks to a unique archeological preservation ordinance adopted by St. Augustine in 1986, White said. Founded in 1565, the city is the oldest continuously occupied part of the U.S. to previously be a European settlement. To document and preserve that history, St. Augustine has its own archeology program that is part of the city's planning and permitting department. 'We get a chance to come in and document what's there prior to construction,' White said. 'We never stop construction, that's not the goal. It's just to give us a little bit of time to come in, document what might be there, learn a little bit more about our history, and then the project gets to move forward.' White knew the area under development had a long history, going back to a Native American mission in the early 1700s, followed later by an agricultural plantation and after the Civil War, the construction of the Lincolnville neighborhood. 'So we knew we had multiple centuries of history that could potentially be on the property, but we're pretty excited to actually find evidence,' White said. 'What we found evidence of was a large moat about 15 feet wide that would have been part of the rampart.' Researchers found few artifacts at the site and are still unsure about the fort's actual size and shape, but they did recover thousands of different types of seeds. White said they're working with a paleoethnobotanist, who studies the history of how humans and plants interact, to learn how the structure was built and used. It's possible that plants like Spanish bayonet or prickly pear cactuses were used to prevent erosion or to slow down attacking soldiers. 'So we're very hopeful that we might find some good information from our plant remains that we've recovered,' White said. Jason Heidgerken, the contractor working on the lot where the fort's moat was found, said the city's archeological program can certainly cause delays, but White and her team were great and communicating well, so he could adjust his timelines. 'I've been around St. Augustine since 1980 personally, and part of the attraction is the history,' Heidgerken said. 'So if you want to live there and do this kind of business, it's to be expected, and you need to have the patience for it.' Over the past four decades, the city's archeology program has completed more than 1,200 projects. Not only have researchers collected data from Spanish colonial times but also Native American settlements and villages going back 4,000 years.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Archeologists unearth signs from 1700s of British control in Florida after centuries of Spanish rule
The city of St. Augustine — with its centuries-old buildings and massive stone fort — is an enduring reminder of Spain's storied history in Florida, going back generations before the United States even existed. But for two decades in the 1700s, Great Britain controlled the region, and archeologists have finally found some of their long-sought-after footprints. City archeologists identified a dry moat last fall of a British redoubt, a fortified military outpost, that had been constructed in 1781. Excavations were completed last month in the city's Lincolnville neighborhood, making way for the construction of a new single-family home. 'St. Augustine had a 20-year British period,' city archeologist Andrea White said. 'They came, and they built seven of these redoubts, and nobody has ever found any archeologically. We have rough ideas of where they were, and they show up on historic maps. But we've never found actual, tangible, archeological evidence for any of them until recently.' The Spanish military built the Castillo de San Marcos in the late 1600s, and the fort remains on the western shore of Florida's Matanzas Bay, though as a national monument rather than a military installation. When the British took control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine already had extensive Spanish-built defenses, but British officers were concerned about an attack from a nearby river and ordered the construction of the outposts along the city's western edge. White said Britain's relatively brief occupation of St. Augustine, which ended along with the American Revolution in 1783, has been largely forgotten by time, and the discovery of the fort is a way to reclaim a little piece of lost history. 'That's what's interesting about these British redoubts, they're the only defenses that the British built themselves,' White said. 'Everything else that's in St. Augustine or the surrounding area that everyone's familiar with, those were already built by the Spanish. And then the British just kind of reoccupied them.' The structure was discovered thanks to a unique archeological preservation ordinance adopted by St. Augustine in 1986, White said. Founded in 1565, the city is the oldest continuously occupied part of the U.S. to previously be a European settlement. To document and preserve that history, St. Augustine has its own archeology program that is part of the city's planning and permitting department. 'We get a chance to come in and document what's there prior to construction,' White said. 'We never stop construction, that's not the goal. It's just to give us a little bit of time to come in, document what might be there, learn a little bit more about our history, and then the project gets to move forward.' White knew the area under development had a long history, going back to a Native American mission in the early 1700s, followed later by an agricultural plantation and after the Civil War, the construction of the Lincolnville neighborhood. 'So we knew we had multiple centuries of history that could potentially be on the property, but we're pretty excited to actually find evidence,' White said. 'What we found evidence of was a large moat about 15 feet wide that would have been part of the rampart.' Researchers found few artifacts at the site and are still unsure about the fort's actual size and shape, but they did recover thousands of different types of seeds. White said they're working with a paleoethnobotanist, who studies the history of how humans and plants interact, to learn how the structure was built and used. It's possible that plants like Spanish bayonet or prickly pear cactuses were used to prevent erosion or to slow down attacking soldiers. 'So we're very hopeful that we might find some good information from our plant remains that we've recovered,' White said. Jason Heidgerken, the contractor working on the lot where the fort's moat was found, said the city's archeological program can certainly cause delays, but White and her team were great and communicating well, so he could adjust his timelines. 'I've been around St. Augustine since 1980 personally, and part of the attraction is the history,' Heidgerken said. 'So if you want to live there and do this kind of business, it's to be expected, and you need to have the patience for it.' Over the past four decades, the city's archeology program has completed more than 1,200 projects. Not only have researchers collected data from Spanish colonial times but also Native American settlements and villages going back 4,000 years. 'I actually think it's pretty cool what the city does. I'm a history nut myself,' Heidgerken said. 'I think it's pretty neat.'
