Lake Okeechobee Artifacts

County Archaeologist Chris Davenport (left) is very pleased that Glades resident Boots Boyer (right) reported his findings when he spotted the remains of a catfishing boat believed to have been in operation between 1904 and 1910.  The artifact they are holding is a Native American conch shell hammer that dates between 2000 years ago and 1750 AD.

Palm Beach County archaeologist Chris Davenport recently received an anonymous phone call that could end up being the highlight of his career: rare artifacts up to 2,000 years old were discovered at the bottom of Lake Okeechobee.

Severe drought conditions have unveiled 21 different sites that contain pottery, net weights, candle holders, shell pendants, some of which date back to pre-historic times. The finds have prompted state and County officials to scour the 80-square-mile area in search of more relics before water levels rise again. Davenport said human remains were also uncovered, but were turned over to state officials and are not allowed to be shown to the public.

The artifacts were initially discovered in March. Since then, Davenport and other County officials have traveled weekly to the sites in search of more historical remnants.

“This is truly an eye opener … one of those career defining moments,” Davenport told members of the media Tuesday during a press conference at the Palm Beach County Vista Center Complex. “We’re going to know a lot more about the history of Palm Beach County, especially the western communities.”

The event gave reporters the opportunity to inspect various artifacts gathered from Lake Okeechobee, along with photos of the sites. One of the items pictured was a steam-powered dredge that was once completely submerged. Davenport said he’s been rushing to unearth more ancient objects that provide “snapshots of history.”
Also at the meeting was Belle Glade resident Boots Boyer, who in March discovered some of the relics while taking pictures of a pond apple forest in the area and later notified County officials of what he discovered. “These are truly some exciting finds,” Boyer said.

Davenport is working with several other agencies to preserve the artifacts, including the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Atlantic University and the Riviera Beach Maritime Academy.

“It’s really been a race against the clock to identify what’s out there,” Davenport said.  “We will continue to do this work until water levels rise again.”

Native Americans used elongated pieces of conch shell as pendants on necklaces and disk-shaped ornaments in the hair or around the legs and arms.

In addition to artifacts, remains of boats and buildings were found.  Above, County Archaeologist Chris Davenport describes the site where a Baltimore spice bottle was discovered.  It appears that these pillars used to be part of a “plank,” a cookhouse and bunkhouse actually on the lake used by the catfishing fleet.  Between 1900 and approximately 1918, a million dollars worth of catfish was taken out of the lake each year.