The campers found a whole host of critters on the beach included something very rare – a whelk without a shell! They also enjoyed Michael D. Adams doing a portrayal of botanist William Bartram. The final performance was quite spectacular as this group was really enthusiastic and interested in augmenting the songs with dance and movement.

Try to imagine the choreography to the following songs that they wrote:

Continue reading "Summer Camp: 6th Week - Historic Foodways, Ages 6-12" »

SonarWiz.MAP + SBP software image showing one of the North Beach Railroad abutments along the Tolomato River and debris associated with its destruction during the mid-20th century.

LAMP archaeologist Brendan Burke just published an article in the July/August 2009 International Ocean Systems Magazine, "the Magazine for Ocean Professionals" (volume 13, number 4). The title of the article is Wreck Protection: Using Sonar Mosaics to Protect U.S. Cultural Heritage, and you can read it online by clicking here. Congratulations Brendan, for producing a great article that will spread news of LAMP's work here in St. Augustine to our colleagues in the broader marine science industry.

Campers experienced what it may have been like to arrive at the St. Augustine shore and look for food in order to survive. They learned about how people from difference cultures interacted with the coastal environment. They made butter and tried hard tack. They also drank swanky (a mixture of molasses ginger vinegar water used by sailors). Here are their songs:

Continue reading "Summer Camp: 5th Week - Historic Foodways, Historic Foodways, Ages 6-9" »

Today's discovery: the head, or lid, from a small keg, barrel, or cask. This could have been used to store liquid or dry goods on the ocean-going sailing vessel which plied St. Augustine waters in the 1800s.

I thought I would post a quick update and share some of the finds we have made while conducting archaeological excavations on the unknown shipwreck offshore St. Augustine. LAMP is the research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, and our archaeological investigations are focused on increasing our understanding of the rich maritime history of our Nation's oldest port.

Continue reading "Some Finds from the Mystery Wreck off America's Oldest Port" »

The campers collected a bag of trash at the beach making it a better habitat for all. They also got a chance to see what it was like to get caught in the “doldrums” on a very hot day with no
winds while out on the schooner.

See what they wrote about their adventures and tribulations:

Continue reading "Summer Camp: 4TH Week - Marine Ecology, Ages 10-12" »

Dr. Sam Turner uses an underwater lift bag to lighten the load of a box of ballast stones. He will swim the stones over to the day's lifting station, directly under the dive boat, so that the rocks can be hauled to the surface by the crew waiting above. This photograph has been modified with Adobe Photoshop so that viewers can better see the diver and his equipment; if you'd like to see the original version, click below.

Continue reading "Continued Work on the Shipwreck Offshore" »

The campers identified many coastal plants and animals at Salt Run and in the marine hammock. They enjoyed playing several games of ocean bingo and got a chance to help sustain our coastal environment by doing a beach clean up – they got 2 huge bags of trash! The kids did a particularly spirited and enthusiastic performance on Friday. And, somehow, they all became “Bob” for a day.

Their songs follow:

Continue reading "Summer Camp: 3rd Week - Marine Ecology, Ages 6-9" »

Ominous and rapidly-moving storm clouds drove LAMP researchers off the water today. Sudden storms have always been a hazard to St. Augustine mariners in modern times and in antiquity.

Continue reading "Storms at Sea" »