Hosting two workshops while adjusting to our new offices at the recently restored Historic Seven Seas House at Newton Beach Park made June a busy month for the Southwest Regional Center. If visitors to our new office grow board, at least they’ll daydream while taking in a view of the Gulf. Formerly the home of James and Eleanor Newton, the Seven Seas House was obtained by the Town of Fort Myers Beach in 2003. Grants from the Florida Communities Trust program and Lee County assisted in financing the conversion of the home to a center for education, a public park, and the new home of the Florida Public Archaeology Network's Southwest Regional Center!On June 17, Kevin Porter of Florida Division of Historical Resources visited from Tallahassee to offer Historic and Archaeological Resource Training (HART). Planners, land managers, and cultural resource stakeholders from the counties of Charlotte, Collier, and Lee were on hand for a crash course in the laws and ethics that apply to Florida’s archaeological and historic resources. One of FPAN’s core goals is to support local governments in their efforts to preserve and protect regional archaeological resources.
One week later we conducted our first Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter teacher training workshop. We had a great group of teachers and heritage educators who attended. Who knew you could learn so much about archaeology from wall walkers, slinkies, finger traps, and an imaginary living room? On the second day teachers got serious, using real archaeological data to investigate the site of a Poplar Forest Slave Cabin. A sneak peak at the new Shell Mound Exhibit at Mound House hopefully reduced the potential for workshop restlessness. If you’re upset because you missed the workshop, don’t fear; we’ll be hosting another one soon!
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