Dr. Andrea White earned a Ph,D. Not once in ten (10 references) is Dr. Andrea White ever referred to with her professional earned degree by GANNETT. Pitiful. Putrid. Unscholarly. Uncouth. Sexist? Misogynistic? Unsophisticated, Low-information reporting by superficial shallow City of St. Augustine press release? No class at SAR? Louche low-quality journalism by GANNETT PR hack Lucia Ms. Viti, who seemingly lacks decent respect for American journalistic standards? Yet another strikingly shallow article from Ms. Lucia Viti, who is now apprarenly the "onliest" lonely 'ole reporter in town posting for GANNETT, arrogant errant oligopolistic owner of the feculent former St. Augustine Record?:
18th Century British ramparts are discovered in St. Augustine's Lincolnville
Archeologists unearth evidence of a British fort in St. Augustine, one of seven redoubts indicated in historical maps
Lucia Viti
- Archeologists in St. Augustine, Florida have discovered evidence of an 18th-century British fort, known as a redoubt.
- The discovery was made during a routine archeological review, which is required by the city before any new construction.
- The redoubt is believed to be one of seven built by the British in St. Augustine around 1781 and features a large moat.
America’s oldest city will forever remain an open book for global history. Surrounded by majestic landmarks such as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, commonly referred to as the fort, the city’s coquina structures, Fort Mose, The Lighthouse, and more, no one can deny the urban context of St. Augustine as one giant archeological excavation site.
And the digs go on.
[Dr.] Andrea White, an archeologist for the City of St. Augustine, is unearthing evidence of an 18th Century British fort, referred to as a redoubt or rampart, on private property south of Lincolnville’s Bridge Street.
By definition, a redoubt is a fort or fort system constructed of earth, stone or brick used as an enclosed defensive emplacement.
[Dr.] White said that the British built redoubts in St. Augustine for defense with “grandiose” plans to connect them with a large secondary wall that circumscribed the city
“While those plans never came to fruition, historical maps show that seven British redouts were built when the British had administrative and governmental control over St. Augustine,” she told the St. Augustine Record. “Evidence of the redoubts were never unearthed until now.”
Used as a gun platform, a point lookout or a station to remain in place, soil stains were discovered during the city’s routine building permitting process, which allows archaeologists to review – and dig – city grounds to discover anything of historical value prior to new construction.
[Dr.] White said that St. Augustine is one of the few cities in the country requiring an archeological review prior to building.
“This gives us the opportunity to record history before it's impacted,” she said.
[Dr.] White underscored that the goal is to never stop construction, simply to document history.
“We work with the contractors to complete our diggings in order to commence construction,” she said. “Our findings are incredibly important because we learn so much through archaeological records, even more so than historical records, which contain many gaps. This is evidence, real evidence of what we knew existed but never found.”
[Dr.] White explained that during the excavation of a hole that measured a foot by a foot-and-a-half in diameter, unusual soil and earth deposits with mechanical stripping were unearthed. Upon request, the city’s Public Works Department brought in heavy equipment, and the Florida Department of Archeology Networkassisted with ground-penetrating radar to further investigate the findings.
“We opened a large stripping area about nine meters by six meters, which measures about 30 feet by 20 feet, and discovered very large, distinct soil stains running in a 20-foot-wide diagonal pattern that went deep into the ground, indicating a possible moat or a platform used for protection,” she said.
[Dr.] White described the redoubt as one of seven built in St. Augustine circa 1781.
“The soil stains show that a giant moat was excavated and abandoned,” she said.
[Dr.] White said that the ramparts, the “earthen mounds used to hide behind,” were most likely pushed back into the ditch following Britain’s departure in 1783. However, this discovery could accurately pinpoint the location of the remaining six.
[Dr.] White and her team have discovered tiny pieces of pottery and charcoal during the excavation, but nothing major and certainly “not gold.”
“Because the area didn’t serve as a garrison station established to ward off intense occupation, people weren’t living there so there was no refuse to discover,” she said. “At best, maybe one or two soldiers were stationed at that location. We find refuse from areas where people have lived, eaten, maybe even cultivated the land. But most of what was discarded here was not used for a very long time.”
[Dr.] White said that while it’s not uncommon to find wells, trash pits and building foundations in the grounds of St. Augustine, it is unusual to find something as “unique, specific and historical” as the redoubt.
“You’re really looking for a needle in a haystack,” she said. “Especially in Lincolnville, where there’s so much to uncover.”
[Dr.] White gave a shout out to the Florida Public Archeology Network for their support in supplying U.S. drone footage and the ground penetrating radar and the “fabulous support” from St. Augustine’s city departments, including Public Works.
This has been a real team effort,” she said. “A discovery like this is part circumstance, part savvy archeology and a little bit of luck.”
The dig is currently “wrapping up.” Artifacts, “tons and tons of photos” and note records will be curated at the city’s archeological center.
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