Turtle Mound

Turtle Mound
A photo of Turtle Mound in 1915
Turtle Mound is located in Volusia County
Turtle Mound
Location within Florida today
LocationNew Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida,  USA
RegionVolusia County, Florida
Coordinates28°55′51″N 80°49′37″W / 28.93083°N 80.82694°W / 28.93083; -80.82694
History
Founded1000 BCE
Abandoned1400 CE
CulturesSt. Johns culture
Site notes
Architecture
Architectural stylesshell mound
Architectural detailsNumber of monuments: 1
Turtle Mound
Turtle Mound is located in Florida
Turtle Mound
Turtle Mound is located in the United States
Turtle Mound
NRHP reference No.70000193[2]
Added to NRHPSeptember 29, 1970
Responsible body: State of Florida[1]


Turtle Mound is a prehistoric archaeological site located 9 miles (14 km) south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States, on State Road A1A, between the Mosquito Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. On September 29, 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the site is owned and managed by the National Park Service as part of Canaveral National Seashore.

Characteristics

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Oyster shells visible beneath the overgrowth

A refuse deposit composed mostly of oyster shells,[3][4] the 2-acre (0.81 ha) mound ranges for over 600 feet (180 m) along the lagoon shoreline and holds over 35,000 cubic yards (27,000 m3) of shells.[5][1] It is the largest shell midden on the mainland United States,[6] with an approximate height of 35–50 feet (11–15 m),[5][1] but no extensive excavations have been made.[a][7] Sparsely vegetated in the early 19th century,[b] it has since been covered by a dense maritime hammock,[3][4] its primary cover being woody.[9]

Along with similar mounds regionally,[10] it is the northernmost outpost of several tropical plant taxa,[5][11] possibly due to its secluded, elevated, seaside location and to heat retention by shells;[12][13][14] a study in 1923 found its flora to be "largely of a tropical character",[12][4] as did repeated surveys that also spotted rare species.[c][14] Migratory seabirds, raptors, and other avians frequent the site, likely fostering seed dispersal there.[5][15]

Its peak affords the site a panorama for miles, leading a visitor in 1926 to remark that "one has the sensation of standing on top of a mountain". The statehouse in Eldora and nearby Bethune Beach are observable from its top,[5] along with many other features that set the site apart from other such points in Florida:[16] over 20 mi (32 km) of wild coastline to its south, the lagoon to its west, and the ocean to its east.[5]

History

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The mound, dating to between 800 and 1400,[d][5] contains waste from the Timucua, who caught many reptiles and small mammals here. The Timucua may have used the site as an observatory, for ceremonies, or as a refuge during hurricanes.[7] The Timucua experienced greater competitive forces for finite resources such as arable land resulting in increased open conflict. This is apparent in some of the material found in the Turtle Mound location where it occupied an important location along the coast. Archaeologists have recently found 1,200-year-old pottery on the site.[citation needed]

Prior to the late 19th century Turtle Mound was estimated to be 75 feet (23 m) high.[17] Visible 7 mi (11 km) seaward, the mound was used as a landmark by mariners,[18] including Spanish explorers and later navigators.[1] Along with the 12-metre-high (39 ft) Green Mound, Turtle Mound was one of the most visible markers on the Florida east coast before lighthouses were built.[14]

In 1605 Álvaro Mexía noted the site, dubbing it Baradero de Surruque,[e] and observed natives floating their dugout canoes at its foot.[3] In the late 18th century the site was named Mount Belvedere (1769), The Rock (1769), and Mount Tucker (1796).[20] Over time the mound began to take the form of a turtle, giving the feature its name[1]—a toponym first used on a map published in William Bartram's Travels (1791).[f][3]

Like other mounds,[7] it was slated for use as fill material,[16] but efforts by John B. Stetson Jr. and other individuals led to its acquisition by the State of Florida in 1951. A 6-foot (1.8 m) wall to halt erosion was erected in 1964 on its northwest, and a pair of lookouts were added in 1972.[21]

Tropical plant taxa

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Tropical plant taxa at or near Turtle Mound
Scientific name Common name Abundance Habitat Year first noted
Agave vivipara agave dominant beach c. 1766
Amyris elemifera torchwood dominant exposed slopes 1921
Ardisia escallonioides marlberry dominant 1921
Avicennia germinans black mangrove occasional riverside 1921
Carica papaya papaya rare 1921
Chiococca alba snowberry abundant 1921
Cissus trifoliata marine vine, sorrel vine abundant west side 1971–3
Citrus × aurantium wild orange occasional c. 1766
Eugenia axillaris white stopper dominant 1921
Exothea paniculata inkwood, butterbough frequent 1921
Harrisia fragrans night-blooming cereus rare 1971–3
Heliotropium angiospermum scorpion-tail occasional riverside 1971–3
Laguncularia racemosa white mangrove rare riverside 1921
Mentzelia floridana poor man's patches occasional open spots 1921
Myrcianthes fragrans nakedwood dominant 1921
Myrsine floridana Un­known frequent 1971–3
Ocotea coriacea lancewood rare 1971–3
Plumbago scandens leadwort frequent 1921
Psychotria nervosa wild coffee frequent 1921
Rhizophora mangle red mangrove occasional riverside 1921
Schoepfia chrysophylloides whitewood rare 1971–3
Sideroxylon foetidissimum mastic rare 1971–3
Zanthoxylum fagara wild lime dominant exposed spots near summit 1971–3
[11][22][23]
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  • Turtle Mound in 1924
    Turtle Mound in 1924
  • Turtle Mound in 1929
    Turtle Mound in 1929
  • Sign pointing the way to mound
    Sign pointing the way to mound
  • Walkway toward mound
    Walkway toward mound
  • Shells visible through vegetation
    Shells visible through vegetation
  • Looking west from top of mound
    Looking west from top of mound
  • Boardwalk to top of mound
    Boardwalk to top of mound

Notes

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  1. ^ An account published in 1859 mentioned ashes, charcoal, and fishbones, along with "numberless pieces of Indian pottery", but no human remains.[4]
  2. ^ Reports from 1817 and earlier only referred to grass clumps.[8]
  3. ^ Freezes in the 1980s eliminated some species from the site.[11]
  4. ^ Recent radio-carbon dating has dated it to around 1000 BCE.[citation needed]
  5. ^ Surruque, a nearby town, was named after the cacique (chief) and Indian tribe that lived in the area.[19]
  6. ^ Bartram himself may have visited the mound in 1766 and described it as "an entire heap of sea shells".[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Volusia County Heritage. "Turtle Mound Located in the Canaveral National Seashore". Volusia County Historic Preservation Board and the Volusia County Government. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e Norman 1976, p. 20.
  4. ^ a b c d Small 1923, p. 203.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Scenic Vistas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
  6. ^ Small 1923, p. 200.
  7. ^ a b c "Turtle Mound: Canaveral" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Small 1923, pp. 202–3.
  9. ^ Norman 1976, p. 25.
  10. ^ Small 2004, p. 8.
  11. ^ a b c National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Plants" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  12. ^ a b Norman 1976, pp. 20–1.
  13. ^ Small 1927, p. 10.
  14. ^ a b c Stalter & Kincaid 2004, p. 94.
  15. ^ Norman 1976, pp. 23, 26.
  16. ^ a b Small 1923, p. 204.
  17. ^ Milanich 1998, pp. 38–9.
  18. ^ "New Smyrna Beach". Nichols Surf Shop. Archived from the original on January 21, 2005. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  19. ^ Swanton 1922, p. 329.
  20. ^ Small 1923, p. 202.
  21. ^ Norman 1976, p. 21.
  22. ^ Norman 1976.
  23. ^ Stalter & Kincaid 2004.

Sources

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Turtle Mound.
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