In 1968, Navy engineer Howard S. England was assigned to investigate and report on Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West, at that time an overgrown dumpsite.
He uncovered one of the largest collections of historic armaments in the United States, including cannons, a Civil War-era desalinization plant, and thousands of cannonballs and projectiles.
England's discovery and research played a major role in the designation of Fort Zachary Taylor as a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark. Today, one of the historic weapons that England discovered rests at the Florida Park Service Historic Collections Facility and Archives at Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park. The M1905 artillery piece is one of the thousands of artifacts and documents that the Florida Park Service conserves at the archives.
Maintaining an archive and conserving historic artifacts is part of the Florida Park Service’s mission to protect, interpret and restore Florida’s cultural resources. The collections facility is part of the “behind the scenes” work that supports state parks with museums, cultural sites and historic structures.
The facility houses everything from blueprints to cannonballs. It is perhaps the only archives in the world that includes mermaid tails: Costumes from the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park mermaid shows are preserved there. Other artifacts include pieces of the Wakulla Springs Lodge, stonework from the 19th-century Addison Blockhouse and materials from the Civilian Conservation Corps, which built nine state parks in Florida in the 1930s.
The Florida Park Service's Bureau of Natural and Cultural Resources oversees the archives. Staff work with partners such as the Florida Division of Historical Resources as well as researchers from all over the country to record and understand Florida’s archaeology and history.
The more than 2,000 historical and archaeological sites within Florida State Parks are protected from natural and human threats. Park staff monitor the integrity of historic buildings and assist in preparing detailed plans for their rehabilitation or restoration.
Florida’s history is full of exciting stories, memorable characters and mysteries that inspire curiosity.
There are terrific museums in state parks, but also hidden ruins and reenactments of bustling Union Army camps. There are storytellers who can take you back in time. There are grand forts, stories from everyday life on the farm, and tales of perseverance and courage. There are relics from the golden age of roadside attractions. You can see the place that inspired one of Florida’s best storytellers and explore the secluded home of an eccentric religious sect.
Want to learn more about Florida’s past? Find a historic or archaeological park near you.
