THE 75th ANNUAL MEETING & CONFERENCE St. Augustine, Florida – May 12-14, 2023
LOOKING FORWARD from the Ancient City
The St. Augustine Archaeological Association is excited to invite you to the conference hosted at Flagler College, with Friday meetings and Saturday proceedings held in Kenan Hall. Participants can enjoy Saturday night’s award banquet Solarium of the old Ponce de Leon Hotel with rooftop terrace and views of the Old City skyline. Sunday morning will show off the First Coast’s amazing archaeology, including Spanish colonial settlements, cemeteries, and coastal plantations.
WELCOME RECEPTION
Attendees are invited to a welcome reception at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum on Friday, May 12 from 6:00-8:00pm. The reception will include a short presentation about research at the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program by program director Chuck Meide. Participants are invited to enjoy the exhibits and grounds of the lighthouse and climb the stairs for breathtaking views of the Ancient City. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres provided for all conference registrants.
PAPERS & POSTERS
The Florida Anthropological Society invites the submission of abstracts for paper and poster presentations at the 75th Annual Meeting in St. Augustine. We encourage submissions on a broad range of topics pertaining to Florida anthropology, archaeology, history, and other related disciplines. Presentations will occur on Saturday, May 13, 2023. You must agree to the FAS code of ethics to present at the conference. An abstract of no more than 100 words is required from each presenter. Individuals may submit only one paper or poster as first author for consideration. All presenters must register and pay the appropriate registration fee at the time they submit their abstract. A 20-minute time limit for each paper presentation will be strictly enforced.
CONFERENCE HOTELS
Rates at the following hotels are for the nights of May 12 – 13, 2023 only if the reservations are made by April 12, 2023. Additional days are at the regular rack rate. Reference St. Augustine Archaeology Association (SAAA) when requesting reservations. All hotels charge a room tax of 11.5% per night.
Fairfield Inn & Suites (Located Near I-95 on Rte 16) 305 Outlet Mall Road St. Augustine FL 32084 (904) 810-6882 Rates starting at $ 159 (includes breakfast) |
Courtyard by Marriott (Located Near I-95 on Rte 16) 2075 State Road 16 St. Augustine FL 32084 (904) 826-4068 Rates starting at $169 |
The Ponce St. Augustine (Located on US-1) 1111 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd St. Augustine FL 32084 (904) 824-5554 Rates starting at $229 + resort fee (includes breakfast) |
La Fiesta Ocean Inn & Suites (Located on A1A in St. Augustine Beach) 810 A1A Beach Blvd St. Augustine Beach FL 32080 (904) 471-2220 King $ 209.99 2 Queen $219.99 (breakfast delivered to room) |
Southern Oaks Inn (Located on US-1 Near Rte 16) 2800 N Ponce De Leon Blvd St. Augustine, FL 32084 (904) 342-2354 King $189, 2 Queens $199 (Plus $20 service fee, includes breakfast) |
List of Bed and Breakfasts – https://www.visitstaugustine.com/places-to-stay/bed-breakfasts
On Saturday evening, attendees will enjoy a cocktail hour and buffet at the Ponce de Leon Hotel. The FAS Awards Ceremony and Keynote Presentation will take place following the buffet dinner.
Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Lori Lee, Professor of Anthropology at Flagler College.
Decolonizing Archaeology in Colonial St. Augustine
St. Augustine is a special place with a unique multicultural history. Building on the strong foundation of decades of local archaeology, history, and community-based work, this talk focuses on what new questions, methods, and techniques are contributing to decolonizing archaeology and learning more about the varied human experiences of the past in a tourist-destination primarily known for its Spanish colonial history.
PARKING INFORMATION
Parking at Flagler College on Friday and Saturday will be located at the Campus Services Building at 107 King Street and First United Methodist Church at 118 King Street. Please park in spaces marked for Flagler College. Parking at Flagler on Sunday will be limited to the Campus Services building. A volunteer will give you a parking pass at the lots. Please display this on your dashboard for the duration of the conference.
SUNDAY MORNING TOUR A

TROLLEY TOUR
Join City Archaeologists Dr. Andrea White and Katherine Sims on a guided tour through St. Augustine’s buried past! Attendees will experience a 2-hour ride on the Red Train that will highlight a selection of past and present excavations conducted by the City of St. Augustine Archaeology Program. Since the inception of St. Augustine’s local Archaeology Preservation Ordinance in 1986, over 1,000 projects have been conducted within the city limits. Sites dating from 2,000 BC to the early 20th century dot the urban landscape, and all contribute to the rich history of St. Augustine. The tour will include a cruise through the original 16th century colony, Native American mission communities, Timucuan villages, plantations, and much more.
SUNDAY MORNING TOUR B

Explore Fish Island
Join archaeologist Marsha Chance for a guided hike through Fish Island Preserve. Fish Island was inhabited by Native Americans between 1,000 and 2,000 BC and between 500 BC and AD 1500, who left behind pottery and oyster shell debris. Jesse Fish, an export agent and procurer of needed goods, assisted in the transition of the colony from British back to Spanish rule in 1785. By the mid-1700s, he owned Anastasia Island and the adjacent small island that bears his name where he established a commercial orange plantation, shipping fruit from three thousand trees, noted for sweetness and thin skins, as far as London. He built his home, “El Vergel,” of native coquina, as well as outbuildings, canals, wells, a boat basin, and a wharf on Fish Island. He imported enslaved Africans to work the groves, introducing most of the African slaves registered in Florida between 1752 and 1763. Archaeological remains of the plantation buildings and features are present. In the late 1800s visitors described mansion ruins, pathways, fields, furrows, and aged orange trees.
This historically significant island links Florida’s orange history, plantation life, and trans-Atlantic slave trade in early St. Augustine, and is also a stellar example of the natural coastal environment along the Matanzas River. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was purchased by the state in 2019, and is managed by the city.
SUNDAY MORNING TOUR C

St. Francis Barracks and St. Augustine National Cemetery
The headquarters of the Florida National Guard is located in the historic St. Francis Barracks, a compound originally constructed as a chapel with friary in the 18th century for use as the headquarters of Florida’s Franciscan mission system. The historic St. Francis Barracks property was first converted for use as a military headquarters during Florida’s British Period (1763-1783). Since 1907, the property served as the Headquarters of the Florida National Guard. The tour features the early history of the property as a Franciscan headquarters, its use as a military reservation through the 19th century, the history of Florida’s militia, and the historic St. Augustine National Cemetery. Alison Simpson is the Command Historian for the Florida National Guard.
STUDENT PRIZES
Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in degree granting collegiate programs are encouraged to compete for a prize. The student must submit a paper of original research that contributes to our understanding of Florida’s cultural history.
Contestants must be registered for the conference and submit a copy of their paper by Friday, April 7, 2022. The written paper cannot exceed 2,500 words and must be typed and double-spaced. Students are required to make an oral presentation, drawn directly from their written paper at the FAS annual meeting on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Past first place winners of the student paper prize are not eligible.
Judging criteria for student papers and oral presentations include quality of writing, overall presentation, quality of arguments and supporting data, and overall contribution to our understanding of Florida’s cultural past and/or present. Prizes will be awarded during the Saturday evening banquet.
Email questions and student paper submissions to Emily Jane Murray at emurray@flagler.edu.
STUDENT GRANT OPPORTUNITY
The St. Augustine Archaeological Association (SAAA) is providing two (2) grants up to $250 to support students who attend and present at the 2023 Florida Anthropological Society Annual Meeting in St. Augustine between May 12-14, 2023. Applications will be accepted from any undergraduate or graduate students and are due on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023.
FAS DOROTHY MOORE STUDENT GRANT
The Florida Anthropological Society (FAS) is making available $1,000.00 to be awarded annually to archaeology students (B.A., M.A., or Ph.D.) who are currently enrolled in a Florida university. The grant money will assist students conducting archaeological research in Florida. Grant funds can be used to cover the costs associated with archaeological fieldwork, special analyses (e.g., radiocarbon dates, faunal or botanical analyses, soils analysis, etc.), and, in some cases, travel expenses associated with presenting a paper based on the student’s research at a professional meeting.
Students interested in applying for the grant should submit a letter, not to exceed two pages, that describes the project for which the funds are being requested; what research question(s) or problem(s) are being addressed; how the funds will be applied to these problems; what, if any, additional funds will be used to accomplish the research; and how the research will contribute to Florida archaeology. The applicant should include a budget indicating the amount requested and describing how the money will be spent along with a letter(s) of support from faculty.
Applications for the 2023 award are now being accepted and can be sent to: Dr. Robert Austin, FAS Student Grant, P.O. Box 2818, Riverview, FL 33568 or via email to roc_doc@verizon.net. Application deadline is March 31, 2023.