Archaeologists Christine Newman (RPCV Tunisia) and Ray McGee excavate a cluster of three canoes in Newnan's Lake, just east of Gainesville in Alachua County



Archaeologists Christine Newman (RPCV Tunisia) and Ray McGee excavate a cluster of three canoes in Newnan's Lake, just east of Gainesville in Alachua County

Archaeologists Christine Newman and Ray McGee excavate a cluster of three canoes

Caption: Archaeologists Christine Newman and Ray McGee excavate a group of canoes.

In the Spring and early Summer of 2000, drought conditions across north-central Florida lowered water levels in many lakes, ponds, and streams, including Newnan's Lake, just east of Gainesville in Alachua County. Local residents exploring the dried up lake bed discovered the remains of nineteenth and early twentieth century skiffs, and further investigation by archaeologists revealed that these relatively modern boats were alongside much older, prehistoric canoes. While low water levels have often led to the discovery of prehistoric and historic period canoes, and in some cases groups of canoes, the Newnan's Lake find appeared unique in having such a large number of canoes. Up until this time, about 250 to 300 canoes in total have been reported from Florida.

By early June, 2000 at least 20 canoes had been reported along the northern rim of Newnan's Lake. The Bureau of Archaeological Research sent a team led by archaeologist Melissa Memory to identify the location of as many canoes as possible, and to document in detail at least 50 of the ancient boats. With help from volunteers and students,

Archaeologists Christine Newman and Ray McGee excavate a cluster of three canoes.
86 canoes were recorded along two-mile stretch of the exposed lake bed—the largest group of prehistoric canoes found to date in North America. Walking along the dried lake bottom, the crew could identify the canoes by recognizing traces of the wood from the sides and ends of the boat protruding from the bottom mud. Careful excavation of 53 of the canoes revealed some interesting similarities and differences.

Studies are currently under way to determine the Age of the Canoes
Prehistoric Canoes in Florida (new window), as well as the type of wood used in making them. Wood samples were taken from the 53 canoes in the study group, and have been submitted for radiocarbon dating and wood species analysis. The oldest canoes in Florida are from DeLeon Springs in Volusia County, and date to 6,000 years ago, while some others are only a few hundred years old. The age range of the Newnan's Lake Canoes date from 5000 to 500 years old, with nearly 70% of them dating between 3000 and 5000 years old. As is the pattern for other canoes reported in Florida, almost all the Newnan's Lake canoes were made from pine.

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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories "Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May Doyle not worried about competition 2 May Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

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May 7, 2005: Special Events "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1 Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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