There
are thirteen planned separate exhibits (in addition to special site displays)
that will outline the complete scope
of human history for the area that is now Marion County, Florida. They will be consistent, logically
flowing, and presents each time period in the region’s prehistory and history as
a complete, unbroken sequence; and is easily understandable and accessible both
to students of history and archaeology and to the general public. The format for the redesigned interior
of the Museum is based on a “timeline” format, beginning with the earliest
periods of human prehistory and continuing through the later periods and through
the historic era. This timeline
will contain a series of panels/exhibits which will focus on a specific era
within the timeline. The proposed
panels/exhibits for the complete timeline are as follows:
1)
Paleoindian (ca. 13,000 years before present – 9,500 y.b.p. [years before
present])
– This panel/exhibit will show the lifeways of the Paleoindian cultures of this
region, artifacts from this period, and a map showing Paleoindian sites within
the Marion County area.
2)
Early/Middle Archaic (9,500 y.b.p. – 4,500 y.b.p.)
– This panel/exhibit will show the lifeways of the Early and Middle Archaic
cultures of this region, artifacts from this period, and a map showing Early and
Middle Archaic sites and settlement patterns within the Marion County
area.
3)
Late Archaic (4,500 y.b.p. – 3,000 y.b.p.)
– This panel/exhibit will show the lifeways of the Late Archaic peoples of this
region, focusing especially on the development of pottery (a time marker for the
beginning of the Late Archaic), artifacts from this period, and a map showing
Late Archaic sites and settlement patterns within the Marion County
area.
4)
St. Johns I/Deptford/Weeden Island cultures (3,000 y.b.p. – 800
A.D.)
– This panel/exhibit will show the lifeways of the cultural groups which fell
within the St. Johns, Deptford, and Weeden Island (Cades Pond) cultures of
Marion County, including maps showing the areas where each of these ceramic
cultures and types predominate. It
will include artifacts from each of these different cultures, and explain what
we know of each group’s lifeways and beliefs.
5)
St. Johns II/Alachua/Safety Harbor (800 A.D. – 1539 A.D.)
– This
panel/exhibit will show the lifeways of the latest pre-contact cultures in what
is now Marion County: the St. Johns II, Alachua, and Safety Harbor peoples,
including maps showing the areas where each of these ceramic cultures and types
predominate. It will include
artifacts from each of these different cultures, and will explain what we know
of each group’s lifeways and beliefs.
6)
CONTACT/EARLY SETTLEMENT (1539 A.D. – 1597 A.D.)
- This panel will describe the Timucuan
chiefdoms which inhabited the Marion County region at the time of European
contact here: the Ocale, the Acuera, and a part of the Potano. It will discuss the first European
contact with the native peoples in this area – the Hernando de Soto entrada, which passed through this
region in 1539 A.D. – and what we know of the interactions between the Timucuan
Indians of this region and French and Spanish explorers and settlers through the
beginning of the mission period in 1597 A.D.
7)
SPANISH MISSION PERIOD (1539 A.D. – 1702 A.D.)
– This
panel will describe the era of the Spanish mission settlements in what is now
Marion County, and will tell what we know of each mission, including the
recently discovered site of Santa Lucia de Acuera. It will describe the ways in which the
missions in this area affected the native peoples here, show a map of the areas
the missions are believed to have been located, and the ways in which the Acuera
and Ocale responded to Spanish missionization.
8)
COLONIAL CONFLICT/SEMINOLE ETHNOGENESIS PERIOD (1702 A.D. – 1763
A.D.)
– This panel will describe the ways in which the peoples of the Marion County
region were affected by the colonial wars between Spain, France, and England,
including the destruction of the original Timucuan chiefdoms which inhabited
this region. It will also describe
what we know of the beginnings of the Seminole Indian culture in this area
between the 1740’s and 1763.
9)
BRITISH/SECOND SPANISH PERIOD (1763 A.D. – 1821 A.D.)
–
This panel will describe the period of British rule of Florida (1763 A.D. – 1784
A.D.) and the Second Spanish Period (1784 A.D. – 1821 A.D.), and the growth and
expansion of the Seminole Indians in this area. Focuses in this display will include the
areas within Marion County described by William Bartram, as well as a map
showing Spanish land grants in the region which were issued during the Second
Spanish Period.
10)
AMERICAN TERRITORIAL/SECOND SEMINOLE WAR (1821 A.D. – 1845
A.D.)
– This
panel will describe the period during which Florida was a territory of the
United States, after its purchase from Spain in 1821. Included will be U.S. Army maps of
Marion County during the 1820’s and 1830’s, showing the forts such as Fort King
and Fort Drane, which were the original settlements for modern cities in Marion
County. This area will include
displays about the Second Seminole War, the formation of Marion County as a
county, and the admission of Florida as a State in the United States in
1845.
11)
MARION COUNTY: 19th CENTURY STATEHOOD (1845 A.D. – 1900
A.D.)
– This
panel will include information about the 19th century history of
Marion County after its admission to the United States, and will include
information on American settlement in the region, the Civil War and its
aftermath, and the “boom times” of the later 19th century, including
the “riverboat era” of tourism and travel.
Maps showing the growth of Marion County and the settlements from this
period will be included.
12)
MARION COUNTY: TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY – WORLD WAR II (1901 A.D. –
1945 A.D.)
– This
panel will discuss the effects of the original Florida “land boom” and the
Depression, and will discuss the role Marion County and its citizens played
during World War II. It will
include discussion of the rise of agriculture and tourism in the region and
other topics related to early 20th century history in the
area.
13)
MARION COUNTY: 1945 – Present
– The
final panel will present Marion County’s history through the present day,
including the County’s growth after World War II, the role of Silver Springs and
other natural wonders in attracting people as tourists in the region, and trends
in the County’s growth and future as we begin the second decade of the
21st century.
Each
of the “panel” exhibits will be accompanied by free-standing exhibits of
artifacts and documents, both pre-contact and historic, which will further
illuminate people’s activities and lifeways in each of the different time
periods described. It is intended that
these free-standing exhibits will be “rotating” exhibits, which are intended to
display specific types of artifacts and other historic material which will allow
for many collections from individuals and organizations to be displayed for
periods of time – and then “rotated” to allow new collections, also from the
same period, to be displayed.
In this way, the exhibits will be
constantly changing while consistently displaying the historic timeline of human
settlement in the Marion County area.
This will both stimulate interest in
collections at the Museum and will also allow for a much broader range of
participation in creating Museum collections by groups and individuals
throughout the area and elsewhere.
Currently
the museum has only one (#6 CONTACT/EARLY SETTLEMENT (1539 A.D. – 1597
A.D.))
of the 13 Time Period display panels set up with limited artifacts
. The museum is actively
looking for donations of money to build displays
and artifacts to display from
each time period from local residents and businesses.
The museum is currently logging in artifacts from the following
collections for use in its “Time Period” and “Special”
displays.
Items marked * are currently set
up in the museum.
1. Henderson Collection *
269
Indian Artifacts from Silver Glen Springs found in the
1930s
2. Corsiglia Collection *
148 Indian Artifacts from Ocala found near the Museum in the early
1960s
3. Seminole Blouses *
6 Colorful shirts made by local Seminole
Indians
4. Jon Fort Collection
111
Pottery Artifacts found all over Marion County
5. Hutto Martin Site *
122 Artifacts (many more) found near Moss Bluff
6. Lake Weir/Hart Acres Site
Indian
Artifacts
found Moss Bluff
7. Ancient Hills Site
Indian Artifacts and later time period artifacts found just
South of the Ocala Airport
8. Fort King Site
Artifacts f
ound at the Fort King Site in East Ocala
9. Paddock Park *
Indian Artifacts f
ound near the
Paddock Mall
10. Scrambletown
Items* Artifacts from Scrambletown and a model homestead
11. Thomas Collection *
Early farm tools from the area
Many more collections have not yet started the logging in/displaying
layout process.
Programs for Public Education are being
developed for all to take part understanding our
history.
1)
Archaeological Field School/Support Classes
2)
Guided Public Tours/Student Educational Tours
3)
Lecture Series on History and Archaeology
4)
“In-Museum” Classes and Volunteer Opportunities
5)
Trading Skills with the Members of the Ocala Metal Detectors Club.
Last
year a Boy Scout weekend camp-out was held where all were taught how an
Archaeological Dig is performed and given a chance to dig and shake the shifting
screen to actually find artifacts near Moss Bluff. This year two Boy
Scout came to the Museum and lectured by Dr. Willet Boyer about Florida History
and Archaeology so they could earn a Merit Badge.
Last
year and this year students from Central Florida College took Archaeology
Courses taught by Dr. Willet Boyer and took part in several dig sites
around Marion County for about 10 months. Many of them are making plans to
become Archaeologists.
The
Mid Florida Historical Research & Recovery Association helped find early
settlers buried metal artifacts at the Ancient Hills dig site and then were
taught the way Archaeologist perform a unit dig with all required
documentation.
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The county
is supplying the building and much of the utilities/maintenance, but many expenses
and cost for the displays will be from local donations. Donations
can be made to The Marion County Historical Association (a 501-c(3) Corporation- any donation
is tax deductible).
A "QUICK LOOK" inside the Museum of pictures taken
on September 22, 2011. These pictures do not show all displays or
detail with in them.
Click:
http://marioncountyarchaeology.com/mcmha/pictures.htm
*****************************************************************************
Read and see what Archaeology means to us with pictures of
some dig sites:
http://marioncountyarchaeology.com/archaeology.htm
*****************************************************************************
A local resident –
Robin Corsiglia found many Native American Arrowhead Points and Pottery back in
1961 less than ½ mile from the museum and built a display for these artifacts
and set up a web page to explain more about his collection
at:
http://marioncountyarchaeology.com/2cor/2corsiglia.htm
Send him a note
about your artifacts from Marion County. He would like to see your collection to
learn more about our history. We would also like your artifact "donations" or
"loans" to the museum for all to see. Robin Corsiglia: Email:
steameng1@cox.net
