Saint Augustine’s southern inlet has a long and bloody maritime history, much of which has yet to be explored archaeologically. Despite being somewhat shallower than Saint Augustine’s primary inlet, the Matanzas Inlet has long served as a “back door” to the port, and never having been commercially dredged, its potential for well-preserved shipwrecks is high. With an upcoming geophysical survey planned for summer 2025, LAMP is hoping to discover as-of-yet undisturbed physical remains from the inlet’s 450 years of maritime activity. This presentation will overview the historical context of the inlet as well as expound on what LAMP expects and hopes to find during survey operations. Despite Saint Augustine’s long Spanish history, no confirmed Spanish vessel remains have ever been discovered on its coast. This project has the potential to change that discrepancy and reveal a richer understanding of the Matanzas Inlet’s contribution to the maritime history of Saint Augustine.

Despite extensive research identifying over 150 historical vessels lost near St. Augustine, Florida, no shipwrecks from the First Spanish Period have been located, leaving a gap in maritime archaeological knowledge. This project aims to address this by focusing on these Spanish vessels, which were important to Spain's early colonial maritime operations. One of the project's objectives is to locate the historical Spanish-period inlet that served as an access point for St. Augustine. Coastal dynamics and environmental changes over 450 years have obscured this inlet, making its identification necessary for understanding the era's maritime landscape. The project will attempt to locate this waterway using remote sensing surveys and historical geomorphological analysis, providing insights into early Spanish navigation, trade routes, and defense strategies.

Fort Mose in St. Augustine, Florida, was established in the 18th century as a sanctuary for escaped enslaved Africans, marking the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. Initial investigations began in the 1970s and have since expanded to encompass collaborative terrestrial and underwater exploration efforts. This presentation highlights findings from the 2023 underwater excavations conducted by the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program. This presentation showcases a diverse array of artifacts unearthed at the site, reflecting its multifaceted history of occupations spanning Native American, Spanish, British, and American militia periods. Additionally, it underscores the significant impact of climate change on Fort Mose and emphasizes the need for continuous archaeological investigation to uncover invaluable insights into the site’s maritime history amid escalating environmental challenges.

Construction monitoring for a storm drain system on the historic waterfront of St. Augustine, Florida revealed the articulated remains of a small, flat-bottom "sharpie" that was apparently abandoned or lost on the now land-filled city front before 1886; it likely dates to the late 1860s or early 1870s. Working closely with the Florida Department of Transportation and LAMP, the excavation and recovery of the vessel was done in five days due to a rapid construction schedule. The analysis of the boat remains, now in conservation storage at LAMP, provide details on this vessel, a representative of a once-common, now vanished and little documented vernacular craft. These vessels were used as market and fishing boats by local Minorcan and African-American mariners. The type vanished in the early twentieth century. The discovery, excavation, documentation and virtual reconstruction of the craft will be highlighted and discussed in this presentation.

In November 2020, a nor’easter unearthed a section of articulated timbers on the beach south of St. Augustine near the Matanzas Inlet. LAMP researchers conducted a four-day assessment, confirming the site was a wooden shipwreck, likely 19th-century. When it was learned that the area was going to be deeply buried by a beach renourishment project, LAMP decided to conduct a full excavation of the hull remains in August 2021. With the help of over 80 volunteers, several feet of accumulated sand were removed by hand, exposing the port bow side of a ship, lying with the inboard side up and measuring 7.55 by 4.84 m. Hull analysis and historical research suggests this is a remnant of the 317-ton Caroline Eddy, a brig or brigantine built in Maine in 1862 as a Civil War supply ship and operating as a lumber vessel when wrecked by hurricane on 30 August 1880.