Mound Key Archaeological State Park
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2023) |
Mound Key Archaeological State Park / Mound Key Site | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Lee County, Florida, USA |
Nearest city | Fort Myers Beach, Florida |
Coordinates | 26°25′20″N 81°51′55″W / 26.42222°N 81.86528°W |
Area | 113 acres (0.46 km2) |
Established | August 12, 1970 |
Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Mound Key Archaeological State Park is a
Mound Key was an important site of the
History
Mound Key was created over 2,000 years ago by the
The arrival of the
The Spanish brought with them diseases to which the Calusa had no immunity. These diseases and warfare with the Spanish eventually ended the Calusa civilization around 1750.
In subsequent years, the island was used and sometimes inhabited by pirates, fishermen (Cuban, Portuguese and Spanish), and American pioneers, among others.
Frank Johnson and his wife, Grandma Johnson, were given a homestead on Mound Key in 1891. This marked a period of European immigration to the former Calusa capital.
Grandma Johnson remained at Mound Key and allowed several families — Luettich, Hawkins, Hanson and Fernandez — to build homes on the island.
She taught them to fish, to farm, how to build houses that would stay cool in the summer and protect them against Florida's abusive sun and summer storms. By the turn of the 20th century, most all Mound Key settlers had moved up river to Estero, then a citrus and cow farming town. The Johnsons sold the island to the Koreshans, a utopian cult, in 1905.
In 1894, the followers of a scientific/religious belief system known as
After the death of their leader, Cyrus Teed, in 1908, their numbers declined. In 1961, the remaining Koreshans decided to give over ownership of the key, as well as other land in nearby Estero, to the state. It was used to form the park, which is administered by the Koreshan State Historic Site. Approximately nine acres still remain privately owned by the McGee family. The McGee family agreed to sell their remaining parcel to Lee County in 2019.
In 2020, archeologists confirmed that Mound Key was the site of Fort
Recreational Activities
The park has such amenities as
See also
References
- ^ Reilly, Stephen E. (April 1981). "A Marriage of Expedience: The Calusa Indians and Their Relationship with Pedro Menendez De Aviles in Southwest Florida, 1566-1569". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 59 (4): 395. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Archaeologists verify Florida's Mound Key as location of elusive Spanish fort". phys.org. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- Lee County listings at National Register of Historic Places
- Lee County listings at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
- History of Mound Key Archeological State Park at Florida State Parks
- Estero Historical Society
- Prehistoric Times - Early Human Life in Coastal Southwest Florida
- The History of Ft. Myers Beach
- Calusa Indian Art
- Calusa Indian site pictures
- Mound Key State Archeological Site
- Mound Key Video Clips
- Archaeologists verify Florida's Mound Key as location of elusive Spanish fort