History brought to light at Weedon Island

TBN Weekly -

A piece of Pinellas County history was unearthed last week.

On March 1, Pinellas County staff, along with state and local archaeological experts, successfully excavated a 40-foot-long section of what was probably a 45-foot-long prehistoric pine canoe from a beach area on Weedon Island Preserve.

Experts think the canoe may have been used by prehistoric Weeden Island Culture natives during the Manasota Period some 1,100 years ago, which is the age of the relic confirmed by radiocarbon testing. The canoe features a raised bow that indicates the vessel was used on open water.

Local resident Harold Koran discovered the canoe in the fall of 2007 as he was fishing along the shore of the preserve. After an initial assessment, county staff spent more than three years acquiring the necessary permits and establishing funding to perform the excavation. The Friends of Weedon Island support group raised $30,000 to aid in the excavation.

“It is an incredible find,” said Phyllis Kolianos, program coordinator for the Pinellas County preserve education centers and one of the lead archaeologists during the canoe excavation. “It is one of the first artifacts of its kind of that length that has been found in the state of Florida. It is also the first in Florida that has been found in a salt water environment, so it’s very significant for Pinellas County.”

Excavators first built a cofferdam to keep the area around the canoe dry during excavation. Then, the artifact was carefully removed in four, 10-foot sections and transported by boat to a holding tank in the maintenance area of Weedon Island Preserve. A pole, which was probably used for docking the canoe or for propelling it through shallow water, was removed from under the boat and transported to the holding tank as well.

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