19th-Century Hospital And Cemetery Remains Found Underwater In Florida

19th-Century Hospital And Cemetery Remains Found Underwater In Florida

 

A 19th-century hospital and cemetery have been discovered in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park.

The findings result from a survey of the 100-square-mile area that began in August as a collaborative project between park cultural resources staff, members of the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center, the Southeast Archeological Center, and a University of Miami graduate student, CBS News reports.

According to a press release from the National Park Service on Monday, the cemetery has been identified as the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery, where John Greer, whose grave was also uncovered in the discovery, worked as a laborer until his death on Nov. 5, 1861.

The National Park Service explains that while historical records indicate that U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson may have been buried at the cemetery, the area was also populated with military personnel, engineers, support staff, prisoners, and their families.

“Major outbreaks of disease on the island exacted a heavy toll on those staying there, killing dozens throughout the 1860s and 1870s,” the release explains, adding that the small quarantine hospital uncovered treated yellow fever patients.

Josh Marano, the maritime archeologist for the South Florida national parks and project director for the survey, shared in a statement that the discovery “highlights the potential for untold stories” being that the area was also used as a naval coaling outpost, naval hospital, lighthouse station, and quarantine facility.

“Although much of the history of Fort Jefferson focuses on the fortification itself and some of its infamous prisoners, we are actively working to tell the stories of the enslaved people, women, children, and civilian laborers,” Marano explained