This site is bursting at the seams with history! The ruins are built in a shell mound- where natives (Timucuans?) would dump their shells. Over time, these shells created a giant hill. It's the only hill in the area. It also overlooks what is now a small marina. Without the marina, seawall and roads, it's pretty easy to visualize people gathering shellfish from the ocean, processing them n the beach and dumping the remainder.
Dr. Andrew Turnbull emigrated in the mid~1500s. The why is unknown and (silently?) debated, if at all. Allegedly to start a new settlement. There is no sign marking the ruins as the "Turnbull" ruins, I only figured it out due to some research done at the History Center and by cross checking on various websites. Some say the site is the foundation of a giant mansion or church, however that seems unlikely to me. The whole structure is build in the shell mound, out of coquina block. There are divets in the walls, facing the ocean. In Florida, coquina was most commonly used for building forts- because it is seemingly impenetrable to cannons- not houses. Furthermore, most houses were not built within sight of the coast, they were usually more inland and close to smaller streams.
The rooms in the foundation don't have doors. Maybe it was used a runoff in the event of a flood? The divets in the walls may have held cannons or gun ports, to fire on incoming ships. I highly doubt this was a super mansion or church at any point. It seems to be the foundation of some kind of fort. In any case- it was a pretty neat sight to see- especially for a possible descendant. (I ran around the tops of the ruins screaming "I CLAIM THE LAND OF MY ANCESTORS! and "FEAST YOUR EYES ON MY EMPIRE!")
Even though there was no sign explaining the Turnbull ruins, there WAS a sign designating the same (neighboring?) space the site of the Sheldon house, burned by the Union army during the "War Between the States." This interested me in particular because it reminded me of a book I read in Spring explaining the prevalence of Confederate monuments in the South. (Dixie's Daughters by Karen Cox, it's a phenomenal read)
This also struck me because it's literally RIGHT next to the Turnbull ruins. Assuming the Sheldon House was important during the Civil War, it's got a great view of incoming ships and surrounding lands. Clearly, Turnbull was onto something (further supporting the idea that it's a defensive structure rather than a mansion). I wonder if it's possible that Sheldon House, understanding Turnbull's vision, was built on top of the existing foundation? It is possible. I don't think coquina burns, and many structures in Florida were built of wood (see: existing cracker houses).
It somewhat irks me that there is no plaque or sign of the Turnbull ruins, and only of the Sheldon (Confederate) house. That seems a tribute and stereotype of Florida/Southern culture- to unquestioningly flaunt Confederate structures while ignoring part of the much older, colonial history. (This can also be attributed to the RAMPANT success of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.) I might write a letter to NSB requesting a plaque be placed near the ruins.
So what IS the real history of the site? It is hard to say. Settlement? Fort? Will future research be done? I guess that's up to the PenGoddess. :)
The article "Blockade Runners" by Alice Strickland in a 1957 Florida Historical Quarterly might be relevant to the Sheldon House. :)
ReplyDeleteOne day you'll reclaim your empire!
ReplyDeleteInteresting.