Community Archaeology at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park

This project involves archaeological work at the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park in the town of Ellenton in Manatee County, Florida. The archaeology will be conducted during two seasons of field school through the University of South Florida Department of Anthropology. The primary archaeological goal is to look at the changes in the way the plantation grounds were used over time, and to reco

nstruct the many histories at the site. We will do this by searching for artifacts and remains of buildings, wells, storage pits, trash dumps, etc. The various buildings and fields, including the mansion, the various tabby structures, the extensive canal system, the sugar works, and the spaces once covered by fields, all represent areas once used and lived in by the enslaved individuals of Gamble Plantation. A primary goal of this project is to uncover the traces reflecting the daily struggles and perseverance of the enslaved laborers at the site, through the recovery and analysis of the artifacts and changes in the plantation over time. Public engagement with this project will help foster community awareness of the value of cultural resources, archaeological methods, and heritage preservation. A main objective of the project is to seek out and include the perspectives of the many groups of people associated with the park into the research design.