Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus

With an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida prehistory, this National Register of Historic Places museum is referred to as one of the largest intact actively preserved archaeological sites of the prehistoric period on the gulf coast of Florida. Habitation of the site (known as the Palmer site 8s02) spans the Late Archaic period [5,900-3,200 years ago] through to the Manasota and Late Woodland periods [3,200-1,000 years ago.]

Prehistoric people living on our bay’s shore saw the introduction of ceramics and the transition from nomadic hunters and gatherers to settled subsistence societies. They capitalized on the abundant resources provided by the gulf, marsh, woodland and bay ecosystems and utilized growing specialized tool technology to further establish the permanent and seasonal settlements.

Archaic period sites are not as prevalent on the gulf coast and are often not as well-preserved as Historic Spanish Point’s Hill Cottage Midden. Archaeological excavations and examinations of data place this midden clearly in the Archaic formative time. Given its age and the potential for further study, Hill Cottage Midden is among the most important sites in Florida and may be one of the oldest and largest ceremonial shell ring middens in the southeastern United States.

A midden is a dump for domestic waste. The word is used by archaeologists worldwide to describe any kind of feature containing waste products relating to day-to-day human life. Middens may be convenient, single-use pits created by nomadic groups or long-term, designated dumps used by sedentary communities that accumulate over several generations. In the latter case, a midden’s stratigraphy can become apparent. Midden deposits can contain a variety of archaeological material, including animal bone, shell, botanical material, potsherds, debitage (the leftover pieces from making stone flake points) and other artifacts associated with past human occupation. These features provide a useful resource for archaeologists who wish to study the diet and habits of past societies. Middens with damp, anaerobic [low to no oxygen] conditions can even preserve organic remains which can then be analyzed to obtain information regarding climate and seasonal use.

Ripley P. Bullen excavation of burial mound, 1970s.

The two large shell middens forming the Late Woodland and Manasota [3,200-1,000 years ago] context of the Palmer Site 8So2 offer a substantial glimpse at those populations, along with the Burial Mound, which is considered one of the largest systematically excavated mortuary sites in the southeastern United States. The excavation in 1959-1962 by Ripley P. Bullen created one of the biggest osteological collections housed at the University of Florida’s Museum of Natural History, allowing for comprehensive study.

People living here 1000-2000 years ago were relatively healthy with an average age of 25-50 years. Bullen excavated over 429 individuals along with 4 dogs and a Florida Alligator. The Alligator was ceremonially interred with grave goods and appears to be the last burial in the mound. Bullen found no other disturbances after or above the level of the full Alligator skeleton. Though limited, grave goods and ceremonial elements were included with both the human and the animal burials in the mound. Items like pottery, lithics, shell, and faunal material were part of the grave goods and/or burial inclusions. The styles and cultural affiliations of these were common to the regional culture of the time period leading us to propose the people here were not of their own subculture.

Prehistoric people disappear from the archaeological record of the Palmer site 8s02 sometime prior to AD 1100. To date, no evidence of European contact has been found indicating under the current knowledge that the site was abandoned until the Webb family arrived in 1867. Due to the concerted efforts the various caretakers of Historic Spanish Point, this significant archaeological site has been preserved in a relatively pristine state, again making 8So2 one of the key sites in Florida.

The rich heritage of human habitation at Historic Spanish Point entered a new phase in 1867 when John Greene Webb and his family from Utica, New York established a homestead on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay. A Spanish trader the family met in Key West told them of an elevated point of land on the bay. When the Webbs found the special piece of Florida wilderness, it was just right for them and they settled here. The Webbs named their homestead Spanish Point to honor the good advice of the trader. (This is the only historical or archaeological evidence of a Spanish connection to the museum.)

John Webb and his family planted citrus, sugar cane, and many vegetables. The family built a packing house to prepare it for market. To transport the produce, John’s sons Jack and Will, along with son-in-law, Frank Guptill, built a ten-ton schooner called Vision. John Webb’s wife, Eliza, her sister Emily, and their daughters, Anna, Lizzie and Ginnie also worked on the homestead in the early years. Anna and Ginnie liked to sketch their new surroundings, and the museum’s collections include many of these drawings and letters.

The Webbs encouraged winter boarders to come to stay with them. These boarders enjoyed the mild climate, walks along the nearby beaches, fishing in the bay, hunting, sailing and other leisure activities of the day. Thus the first tourist resort in the area was established. Webb’s Winter Resort was a success for the family and one of the dormitories for the guests, built in 1885 by son Jack Webb, is now known as White Cottage. Today it features an exhibition about Mrs. Potter Palmer who also used the building for her guests when she owned the land.

John Webb became a Postmaster in 1881 when he requested a Post Office be placed at Spanish Point so the family wouldn’t have to sail the 15-20 miles to get their mail. The US Postal Service informed him that the place needed to have a one-word name, so John chose “Osprey,” no doubt inspired by the birds were so commonly seen over the bay. It was the only post office with that name in America, and letters would arrive from all over the world simply addressed, “Osprey, USA.”

In the early 1900s, the Webb family sold parcels of the homestead to new settlers. All members of the original pioneer Webb family are buried in the Pioneer Cemetery next to Mary’s Chapel except for Jack Webb who had moved to California. The original Mary’s Chapel was built at the request of family members of Mary Sherrill who stayed at Webb’s Winter Resort and sadly died at a very young age. The chapel was reconstructed in 1986, with the original stained glass windows and the bronze bell.

Florida owes its success to people like John Webb and his intrepid family who braved the heat, humidity, insects, illness, fires, and risk of hurricanes to settle and build up the gulf coast region. Historic Spanish Point is proud of this aspect of our story and invites you to experience it first hand by strolling through the 30-acres of nature and gardens, and by engaging yourself in the past by touring the historic buildings.

Historic Spanish Point is not only the premier historic site museum in Sarasota County, it is also an environmental museum. The location on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay offers the unique opportunity to view different habitats as well as plant and tree combinations. Native plants representing over 50% of the species found in the county can be enjoyed along the nature trails and boardwalks, including a pristine mangrove shoreline. The Butterfly Garden, one of the largest in Florida, attracts not only avid photographers but many species of insects and birds. In fact, we get so many birds on the site we participate in bird counts for the county in the winter season.

The outdoor museum actively preserves and interprets the Florida native environment. The natural ecosystems experienced include; pine flat woods, oak hammocks, tropical hammocks, mangrove swamps, tidal marshes, and coastal beaches. Some of this variety can be attributed to the changes in elevation created by the prehistoric shell middens.

Prehistoric people relied on plants to supplement their seafood diet. Plants were also highly important for many other uses like fuel, fiber, building materials, soaps, dyes, medicines and for use in religious ceremonies. Fruits and starches could be gathered along with acorns and nuts. Leafy plants like pickerel weed were often harvested from wetlands for use as food and dye. Wood items are rarely found intact at archaeological sites like Historic Spanish Point, but we can assume that prehistoric people used available wood for bowls, paddles, building materials, canoes, cooking utensils, tool and weapon handles, and religious symbols. It can also be assumed that due to the importance of plants and trees, they had a name and use for all in their surroundings.

Examples of over 50% of the tree species native to the region can be found on the property. Chief among them is the ecologically important mangrove which grows along the shoreline in an unspoiled habitat. All three species of mangrove are represented. As well as other important coastal trees and plants. Take the walk across Cock’s Footbridge which not only affords terrific views of the bay but the opportunity to see all of the types and environments of the coastal hammock. Recently, a wetlands reclamation project was completed with the removal of invasive non-native vegetation and the addition of a proper wetland ecosystem.