19th century submarine hospital and cemetery discovered in Florida National Park
A maritime archaeologist said that what he had found was "once by a million chances".
The national parks offer some of the most breathtaking sites in the United States. Visitors are surprised by the former faithful to Yellowstone National Park And the many overhang at the Grand Canyon, but in the Tortugas National Park in Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys, there is a show can't See - because it is underwater. According to a Press release From National Park Service (NPS), archaeologists discovered a hospital and a quarantine cemetery from the 19th century on an island submerged off the coast of Garden , which houses Jefferson and the headquarters of the park. Read the rest to find out how the site was discovered and what archaeologists have found.
Read this then: Yellowstone National Park Roads "Based" - Here is what it means for visitors .
An archaeologist of the NPS first spotted the site.
Maritime archaeologist of the NPS Joshua Marano first spotted the site in 2016 when it was overflowing The Gulf of Mexico, THE New York Times reported. Marano thought that the model could indicate a lighthouse, but an investigation carried out in August 2022 revealed that it was in fact an entire island.
"There were dry lands here at one point. There was a structure on this island at some point," said Marano, who is also the project manager for the investigation, Nyt . "When did he disappear?"
According to Nyt , The Tortugas Dry National Park was once made up of 11 islands, but today there are only six. According to the NPS version, the islands were probably overwhelmed due to the effects of climate change. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
"Although the installations identified in this survey were initially built on dry land, the dynamic conditions have moved many islands over time," said the NPS press release. "Climate change and major storm events have even made sure that some islands settle down and undertake under the waves."
The surveyors found a well preserved tomb.
On the island, archaeologists have found a funeral ground, which was identified as the cemetery of Fort Jefferson Post.
The military and civilians were buried in the cemetery, but only one specific tomb, belonging to John Greer , has been discovered so far. Greer, a worker who worked in Fort Jefferson, died on November 5, 1861, according to the tombstone discovered by divers. The circumstances of his death remain unknown. However, its tombstone was made of Graywacke, which is the same material used to build the first floor of Fort Jefferson, the NP said.
In conversation with the Nyt ,, Devon Fogarty , one of the students graduated from Marano at the University of Miami who helped question the site, said that the discovery of the tombstone was astonishing, because the tombstone was remarkably well preserved.
"I didn't believe it," she said. "It was as if it shouldn't happen." Marano added that finding the serious marker intact is "a chance once over a million".
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The quarantine hospital housed patients with yellow fever.
According to the NP, the islands and the waters around Fort Jefferson are known to house military prisons during the civil war, but they went beyond. The surrounding islands were also used for military training, as headlight stations and as the outposts of naval coal.
But with more people who meet on the islands "the risk of deadly transmitted diseases, in particular the yellow fever transmitted by mosquitoes, has increased considerably". In fact, dozens of people staying in Fort Jefferson died of yellow fever between the 1860s and the 1870s. This prompted the use of quarantine hospitals on other islands near Garden Key, which probably saves Hundreds of other people to contract and die of the disease, said NP.
Fort Jefferson was abandoned in 1873, ending operations in quarantine hospitals. However, between 1890 and 1900, the fort was again used by the US Marine Hospital Service. According to the NPS, the recently discovered hospital was used to treat patients with yellow fever during this decade.
The search on the site is underway.
The NPS said that experts are carrying out current research to find out more about Greer and other people buried on the island.
"This intriguing discovery highlights the potential of unpublished stories in the Tortugas Dry National Park, both above and below the water," said Marano in the NPS press release. "Although a large part of Fort Jefferson's story focuses on the fortification itself and some of its infamous prisoners, we are actively working to tell the stories of slaves, women, children and civilian workers."
However, Greer's tomb will not be disrupted and the exact location of the hospital and the cemetery will not be revealed, the Nyt reported.
"In the Florida Keys, we are in the birthplace of modern treasure hunt," said Marano at the point of sale. "Often, we want to leave it in place, because it will be better protected."
In the press release, the NPS added that "the submerged cultural heritage is protected by federal law".
