Gulf Archaeology Research Institute

06/27/2025

Last evening we had a wonderful turnout for the opening of a new exhibition at Fort King National Historic Landmark and Visitor Center’s Archaeological Resource Center. Our staff Stephanie and Gary did a wonderful job bringing to life the story of the cache of bottles that was first discovered in 1968 after a hurricane toppled a tree.

Through a generous grant from the Marion Cultural Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts with support from the city of Ocala we were able conduct oral histories with many residents who were here at the time of the bottle discovery and what they remember about it. This crucial event really helped galvanize the community to preserve the site of Fort King for future generations.

Marthalynne Arts - marthalynne allen was selected through a competitive process to create a unique piece of artwork about this discovery and she did an amazing job connecting the past to the present. Creating a cyanotype print of the hands of people who found the bottles in 1968 and others involved in their current preservation and interpretation creates a stunning backdrop using historical methods for this exhibit.

Thank you to everyone in bringing this exhibition to life and to all those who attended the event. Please come visit the park Fridays and Saturdays to check it out.

05/02/2025

Laundry day!

Taking a break from field work for analysis and report writing so it’s time for a deep clean of the field gear.

03/09/2025

The first stages of the art project for the new museum display at the Fort King Archaeology Resource Center is underway and will be installed in late June of this year! Our hands are reaching into the past to uncover the mysteries of 1968 Hurricane Gladys and the Mystery of the Fort King Bottles. This project was funded thanks to a grant from the MCA and the NEA. Stay tuned to see the how the final exhibit turns out. We are pretty excited for this opportunity.

03/04/2025

Day 2 of our Dade Battlefield archaeological study and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Today we continued to find evidence of the battle and the soldiers - including a very well preserved artillery button and a piece of canister shot. Canister shot is a can of musket balls that are fired out of a cannon. The impact of the canister makes the musket balls mash together leaving the tell-tale dimples.

Tomorrow we are in the lab on account of the impending rain but we hope to be back out Thursday.

(*it is illegal (a felony) to metal detect in the park. We have a grant and a special permit for this work).

03/03/2025

Today we kicked off the start of our Dade Battlefield archaeological study. Thanks to a Small Matching Grant from the Department of Historic Resources we are able help the Dade Battlefield State Park better understand this pivotal moment in time.

Today was mostly getting set up and a feel for the study area but stay tuned. We will be sharing more about why we are doing the project, what we are finding, and what it all means. It’s also important to note that we have a permit from the State of Florida and that collecting artifacts on state land is a felony. We will also share days when you can come see what we are doing and ask questions.

We are so excited for the project and grateful to Dade Battlefield State park for this opportunity.

Dade Battlefield Society Seminole Wars

01/09/2025

It’s a beautiful but cold morning for fieldwork for our Micanopy Battlefield study. At least the snakes and gators won’t bother us!

12/18/2024

We are thrilled to announce that Marthalynne Allen has been selected as the artist for our upcoming museum display project called "Hurricanes & History: Fort King's Hidden Bottles"! Marthalynne Arts - marthalynne allen brings a wealth of experience as a Team Member at Silver Springs State Park, a teacher at Ocali Charter High School, and a talented speaker, artist, photographer, and scenic artist. Her creative vision will bring this important project to life!

This initiative is a partnership between Gulf Archaeology Research Institute and Marion Cultural Alliance, and it is partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and with support from Fort King National Historic Landmark and Visitor Center.

Stay tuned as we share more updates about this exciting collaboration!

12/16/2024

Gearing up for a busy 2025! Stay tuned to see what we are working on

11/27/2024

MCA ARTISTS, there is a new opportunity to create a historical display for the "Hurricanes & History: Fort King’s Hidden Bottles.” Gulf Archaeology Research Institute (GARI), is excited to announce an opportunity for local Marion County artists to contribute to a unique and historically significant project. They are seeking a talented artist to design and create a display for an upcoming traveling exhibit that tells the story of how a hurricane kicked off a community-led effort to preserve and interpret what is now The Fort King National Historic Landmark. This project uses oral histories of residents who were here in 1968 as well as current archaeological excavations to create a museum display that can travel Ocala telling this important piece of our shared history.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website at https://mcaocala.org/calls-to-artists/

10/22/2024

This is a pretty cool use of historic preservation tools!

Great Scott! Today is ! October 21st is celebrated to honor the date when Marty McFly made his iconic leap through time in Back to the Future 🎬.

We've documented the "Back to the Future" time ⏱️ machine! Yep! It's got low mileage since it's only driven from time to time… 🤣

IMAGE
This graphic shows a composite image of a finished Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) measured drawing and an image of the point-cloud data we captured with our high-definition laser scanner. The laser scan provides highly detailed measurements and information that are used to create the drawing.

PROJECT
Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS worked with our partners at the Hagerty Drivers Foundation and traveled to the foundation’s national lab in Allentown, Pennsylvania to scan the "Back to the Future" DeLorean (1981 DeLorean DMC-12). The documentation was conducted as part of the DeLorean’s entry into the Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s National Historic Vehicle Register.

HAER DOCUMENTATION
This vehicle has been comprehensively documented with HAER measured drawings, high-resolution photographs, and a written historical report. The documentation has been sent to the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at The Library of Congress where it will be house and made available to the public in perpetuity.

LEARN MORE
See other historic vehicles in the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at https://bit.ly/3zpcYiY

Visit the Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s National Historic Vehicle Register website at https://driversfoundation.org/register

DID YOU KNOW?
You can now find us on Instagram!

Follow at https://www.instagram.com/heritagedocumentationnps/

10/19/2024

Today is the last day at this location looking for the bottle cache. Unfortunately, our time has run out just as it’s getting super interesting. We will backfill the unit and hopefully come back in the future to finish this excavation.