MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Officials with the National Park Service Monday announced an underwater discovery in South Florida that dates back to the 19th century.
According to the NPS, researchers discovered a former hospital and a cemetery in the waters of Dry Tortugas National Park.
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The discovery took place on a submerged island near Garden Key, the home of the famed Fort Jefferson, following an archaeological survey that began in August.
According to the NPS, dozens of people were interred in the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery, most of whom were military members. Some were civilians.
A news release from the NPS said researchers identified the graves of one of those civilians, John Greer. He was employed as a laborer at the fort and died on Nov. 5, 1861.
Greer’s grave “was prominently marked with a large slab of greywacke, the same material used to construct the first floor of Fort Jefferson” and was marked with a headstone.
“This intriguing find highlights the potential for untold stories in Dry Tortugas National Park, both above and below the water,” said Josh Marano, maritime archeologist for the south Florida national parks and project director for the survey, said in the news release. “Although much of the history of Fort Jefferson focuses on the fortification itself and some of its infamous prisoners, we are actively working to tell the stories of the enslaved people, women, children and civilian laborers.”
Officials said the small quarantine hospital was one of a handful constructed on islands surrounding Garden Key.
The now-underwater hospital was used to treat yellow fever patients at the fort between 1890 and 1900, they said.
Officials said the discovery highlights the impact on climate change on the Dry Tortugas.
“While the facilities identified in this survey were originally built on dry land, the dynamic conditions caused many of the islands to move over time,” they said. “Climate change and major storm events have even caused some islands to settle and erode beneath the waves.”
According to the NPS, research on the site is ongoing and officials plan to share more information regarding the discovery.