Archaeologists excavating Manatee Mineral Springs Park ahead of Bradenton Riverwalk expansion

From News Channel 8 on your side, January 6, 2020

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – Sifting through dirt and digging deep into the grounds at Manatee Mineral Springs Park, historic preservation group Reflections of Manatee, along with local archaeologists, are hoping to unearth the history of Bradenton’s first settlers.  “Although there is very little on the surface for anyone to see, underneath the surface is a really rich heritage of people’s lives,” said Dr. Uzi Baram, Professor of Anthropology at New College of Florida and Director of the New College Public Archaeology Lab.

The rich history of both Native Americans and Angola Freedom Seekers can be traced back to the park’s grounds as early as the 1700s.  “People looking for freedom in Spanish Florida came to the Manatee River. They had been enslaved, some had been born in freedom in Spanish Florida. They came here in order to live peacefully in a community we refer to as Angola,” said Baram.
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