Exploring an Early Colonial Maritime Landscape through Geospatial and Geomorphological Analysis

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Current Maritime Research in Saint Augustine, Florida", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Despite extensive research identifying over 150 historical vessels lost near St. Augustine, Florida, no shipwrecks from the First Spanish Period have been located, leaving a gap in maritime archaeological knowledge. This project aims to address this by focusing on these Spanish vessels, which were important to Spain's early colonial maritime operations. One of the project's objectives is to locate the historical Spanish-period inlet that served as an access point for St. Augustine. Coastal dynamics and environmental changes over 450 years have obscured this inlet, making its identification necessary for understanding the era's maritime landscape. The project will attempt to locate this waterway using remote sensing surveys and historical geomorphological analysis, providing insights into early Spanish navigation, trade routes, and defense strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Current Maritime Research in Saint Augustine, Florida   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow