Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Hermine didn't do much to the Treasure Coast but it did a lot of damage to the Panhandle beaches. I mentioned some of the history of that area a couple of days ago. It so happens that Dan B. was on his way to the Apalachicola area and might get in a little detecting up that way in the wake of Hermine.
It is an area that has a lot of history and treasure even though we don't hear much about it. Below is a little information about San Marcos de Apalache from a link I gave you a couple of days ago. As you will see, there is a case to be made that St. Marks is the oldest European settlement in the U. S.
This (St. Marks) is the site of the original Spanish mission in the area. It was established about 400 years ago. You will see that the town of St Marks claims to have been established in 1527, if this is true it would make St Marks the oldest European settlement in the US. The old fort site a state park and has an interesting visitor's center. When in St. Marks eat at Posey’s "home of the topless oyster", the smoked mullet is very good, and of course the oysters can't be beat. This is a genuine Florida redneck experience. There are people who believe St. Marks to be the oldest inhabitation in the US. No records exist to prove it was inhabited before the early 1600's but there is some evidence. In 1519 Ponce de Leon may have landed there, and many believe that Wakulla Springs was his famed Fountain of Youth. Cabaza de Vaca probably spent the winter of 1528/1529 here. Cabaza de Vaca landed with a party of about 300 men near Tampa, with the objective of finding gold and conquering. The ships were lost and he made his way mostly overland from there to Mexico City over a period of about 8 years, of the original party only 3, including Cabaza de Vaca survived. Anyway there are people who believe Cabaza de Vaca's group left settlers at St. Marks, this is the basis for their claim to the 1527 date. There are also those who believe that when DeSoto passed the area in 1540 he left settlers. In some of the early reports of the 1604 missionaries who landed at St. Marks there appears to be reference to Spanish already living in the area. If in fact St. Marks was first settled before 1604 it was most likely by someone from Cabaza de Vaca's party. If so it is the oldest European settlement north of Mexico City, but even if it was not settled until 1604 it was still an important port and settlement many years before the first Englishman set foot on Plymouth Rock. Little remains today of the early settlement, and St. Marks population is probably no more than it was in 1650, but the oysters are still just as good.
Here is the link for more about the Panhandle area. You'll also read about shipwrecks and other treasures in the Panhandle area.
http://www.alligatorpoint.org/about/fog0000000011.html
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Always take notice of earth being moved in an urban or other potentially productive area.
Medieval building foundations, a Tudor kiln and silver coins are among items that have been unearthed at a development site in the city centre...
A Tudor kiln was discovered, that was most likely used for pottery or tile production, as well as a 16th century well and the foundations of medieval buildings.
Smaller objects such as silver coins, and what appears to be a clasp/pin made of polished bone were also discovered...
Here is the link for more of that story.
http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/14718189.Medieval_artefacts_found_on_city_centre_development_site/----
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A piece of a centuries-old bronze cross found on a rocky side of the Grand Mesa 45 years ago could put a new spin on Spanish exploration in Colorado.
The bit of ceremonial cross – no bigger than a candy bar – disappeared long ago into the archives of some East Coast museum. But in a Da Vinci Code-stoked world that is newly pondering religious symbolism, the missing metal has taken on compelling new mystery. It has sparked a hunt for the rest of the cross and an investigation into what early Spanish explorers were doing on the 10,000- foot-high Grand Mesa.
“I think it would be great if we could find another piece to give us some answers,” said Dave Bailey, chief curator for the Museum of Western Colorado in Grand Junction and member of the Western Investigations Team.
The team will use ultra-sensitive metal detectors to comb a football field-sized area on the west of the mesa over three days this week and will take anything they find to labs at Mesa State College for analysis...
Here is the link for more of that story and the possible significance of the cross.
http://www.denverpost.com/2006/06/19/quest-for-colorados-spanish-cross/
I received another newspaper account of that story from Darrel S. Thanks Darrel.
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Hermine might do some damage to the beaches in the Northeast.
The Treasure Coast will have a small surf today but maybe up to five feet Tuesday.
We still have a disturbance out by the West Indies that is heading west.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
