Windover Archaeological Site, Titusville, Florida

 

Archaeology is the peeping Tom of the sciences. It is the sandbox of men who care not where they are going; they merely want to know where everyone else has been.”

Jim Bishop

There is a most unusual site in Titusville, Florida about five miles from Cape Canaveral. On the side of a small road leading into a subdivision is a historic marker stating an archaeological dig occurred after Steve Vanderjagt, a backhoe operator, found several skulls in 1984 while trying to demuck his quarter acre pond. At that time, the small pond had a thick layer of peat in the center of the pond that was covered with six feet of water. He instantly stopped and call in the authorities. They contacted the Anthropology Department at the Florida State University to investigate. 

What they found was unbelievable. After pumping out the pond in a tedious fashion as to not damage any remains, they uncovered 168 individuals from the black peat moss that covered this tiny pond. They dated these skeletons to an amazing 6000 – 5000 BC, (over 7000 years old). What makes this even more amazing is that at least 90 well preserved skulls still had a greasy, brownish material that was found to be brain tissue attached. With this brain tissue, they were able to do DNA tests and it was found these people were of Asian origin as well as four other Native American peoples.

This got our curiosity up and we had to do more digging, sorry for the pun, into the subject. All of the bodies were buried within 24 to 48 hours after death and placed in the pond as a burial site. These bodies were so well preserved that in some they could actually see what they had eaten just before death. Many had seeds of wild grapes, elderberries, and prickly pear fruit that were still present. They were buried in a flexed position on their left sides with their heads facing west. It was also found they were buried in clusters and wrapped in a complex woven fabric that amazingly were still intact. In fact the cloth they found was made of plant fibers and was discovered to be the oldest complex woven cloth in the Americas.

They found bones of males and females ranging in age from infant to sixty years old with an average height of 5’ 9” for the males. Half of the dead were children who’s bones showed some were malnourished which slowed their growth. They were buried with their toys which were in remarkably good shape. They found that many of the adult females died from Osteoporosis. They found one 15 year old boy skeleton that showed he had spina bifida and was paralyzed below the waist. These people seemed to be compassionate and took care of their own.

All this information brings with it many more questions. Were the Indians the first to inhabit Florida or were Europeans here prior to them? Florida State University had reconstructed what some of these people would look like and some look totally European while others more Asian/Indian. Just a little more food for thought. 

After the dig was completed, the same backhoe operator Steve Vanderjagt came back and covered the pond. It seemed appropriate that he would start the job and finish it as well. It is sad that the pond is no more. As I said, the only thing that remains at this site now is a historic marker with fascinating facts about what once was. Where the pond once was is now on private land.

This site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Till next time. Bye for now.