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Maggie Fitzroy -
Soldiers and civilians who lived and worked in St. Augustine several hundred years ago likely encountered pirates as they went about their daily lives. The late 1600s and early 1700s were the golden age of piracy, and pirates often visited the city to sack it or unload their loot.
This week, workers unearthed artifacts left behind by soldiers and early residents of the city while digging into the grounds of a new pirate museum under construction across the street from the Castillo de San Marcos fort. Their numerous finds, which include a compass, pieces of pottery, knee buckles and part of a sword hanger, will help bring a long-gone and colorful era back to life.
They will be exhibited in the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum at 12 S. Castillo Drive, slated to open Friday.
Beaches residents seeking fun on nearby holiday season excursions can learn a lot about pirates who once sailed into the historic city with a short scenic drive down Florida A1A. And thanks to the unearthed artifacts, they can learn about the lives of people who lived among them.
It's even "a possibility" some of the artifacts came from pirates themselves, said city archeologist Carl Halbirt. They could have worn the types of knee buckles and coat buttons found on the museum grounds, he said.
In any case, "the artifacts will add to the historical significance of St. Augustine," he said. When people can actually see items used hundreds of years ago, "they're just amazed."
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