RECOVERING HISTORY: SALVAGE EXCAVATIONS AT ELZUARDI’S POND HISTORIC DEPOSIT

Michelle Calhoun

A permitted, but unmonitored, boundary wall excavation took place in the Indian Beach neighborhood of Sarasota, exposing 19th and early 20th century artifacts. With owner permission, these were salvaged over the course of several visits to the site by Calhoun, local resident Elliot Stutzman, and WMS/LSSAS members Robert J. Dunay, Tim Costin, and Joe Carbone. Recovered were artifacts from the Florida Rancho period to the 1930s. The site was reportedly an artesian well into which persons currently unknown deposited their refuse in a vain attempt to fill it in. A pond at the site can be seen on the 1883 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey map in the area where José Elzuardi reported lived.

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Greetings WMS/LSSAS members and friends!
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Many 501(c3) educational organizations have certainly had some challenges since Covid in 2020, and the WMS/LSSAS is no exception. Declining membership and meeting attendance are two of the challenges which we have faced. We have had an excellent speaker series and fantastic events this past year, namely our field trip to Historic Spanish Point and North Port’s Myakkahatchee Park picnic and mammoth hunt (with a presentation on Myakkahatchee Creek by archaeologist Steve Koski). 

However, we found that our expenses for 2023 and our expectations for 2024 have exceeded our income by several hundred dollars. At the November 1 WMSLSSAS Board meeting, officers and directors discussed ways to increase membership, programming attendance, and our financial sustainability for 2025 and the coming years. Having been founded as an organization in 1990, we believe we provide value to the community and hope that our upcoming events and speakers will allow us to continue to do so.

After more than 15 years at the previous structure, we found it necessary to increase our membership dues (a modest amount) to keep pace with rising costs. The new membership structure is: Student $5, Individual $25, Family $35, Patron $50, Non-Profit $35, Business $100, Life $250, Benefactor $1,000.

We are grateful for everyone’s continued support of our organization and hope you will choose to join us for our upcoming meetings and events, free and open to the public. We couldn’t do it without you!