George “Boots” Boyer, of South Bay, who discovered early-Florida fishing vessels and other odd artifacts on the exposed lake bottom of Lake Okeechobee, then assisted state and county officials in charting and securing the sites, is the recipient of a 2008 Stewards of Heritage Preservation Award by the Florida Archaeological Council (FAC). Every other year, FAC hands out these awards to non-archaeologists who help to promote and preserve Florida’s archaeological past. The awards ceremony will be held May 2 in Ybor City.
Boyer, owner of Boyer Emergency Services, was nominated by County Archaeologist Christian Davenport. For the past year, the two have been archiving unusual items retrieved from more than 20 locations within an 80-square-mile area of Lake Okeechobee. Boyer has personally taken Davenport and others on numerous tours aboard his airboat, donating hundreds of volunteer hours, as well as paying his own operating expenses. Boyer also helps Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers patrol the region, protecting the sites from looters and curious hikers.
Among the items found: human bones, pieces of American Indian pottery and a shell hammer, a shard of amethyst glass from what appears to be a candleholder, bottles dating back some 100 years, and shell pendants that are perhaps 2,000 years old. A large fishing boat with copper nails and a steam-powered dredge remains mostly submerged in the muck, not to mention the 16-foot double-framed catfishing boat with a one-cylinder three-horse engine that Boyer discovered in March 2007 and reported to Davenport.
Some of the recovered Lake Okeechobee artifacts are now on display at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum inside the newly-opened 1916 County Court House.
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