Artifacts dating back thousands of years on display at Weedon Island

Weedon Island is known for its kayaking and hiking trails, but this nature preserve has a long Native American history that dates back thousands of years. 

On Saturday, the Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research in Education (AWIARE) and the Central Florida Gulf Coast Archaeological Society is hosting Archaeological Day, allowing visitors to see and touch precious artifacts from the past. 

"What we study here involves people that lived here over 1,500 years ago," explained Phyllis Kolianos, an archaeologist with AWIARE.

In the 1920s, the Smithsonian did an excavation at Weedon Island and found decorated pottery and a burial mound context. Now, the site is considered a type-site for a prehistoric Native American culture called Weedon Island. 

"Because of the extraordinary pottery that was found here, the decorative pottery that was excavator back in the 1920s, along with the burial practices that were observed, we are able to define the Weedon Island culture as it was existing here," Kolianos shared.

The site is about 300 acres, but less than 10 percent has been professionally excavated. 

"Some of the things we discovered was that this site has been continually inhabited by people we now call the ‘Safety Harbor people’, who would be the descendants of the Weedon Island culture. 

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Some of the items that will be on display this weekend include the stone implements, which would be the project of points, knives and cutting edge tools. 

"They can get an understanding of how the native people were able to survive," stated Kolianos. "I hope the people that come out to Weedon Island this weekend and talk to us about archaeology will understand that this island is so important. It’s so special and archaeology has a way of being able to contribute to society for people to understand what took place in the past."

Weedon Island’s Archaeology Day takes place from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 16. 

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