WELCOME
I’m Charles Ringling, I came to Manatee County in 1911 and built my home in Sarasota in 1926, and I’m going to share what I’ve learned from archaeologists about the past of this beautiful place.
This is a guided tour of the archaeo-past of Sarasota/Manatee
I'm Dr. Uzi Baram. I will pop up once in a while to offer contemporary insights or more information.
WHY CHARLES RINGLING AS OUR GUIDE?
Charles Ringling (December 2, 1863 – December 3, 1926) is best known as one of the Ringling Brothers, of the Ringling Brothers Circus fame. Chas, as some called him, was a civic booster for Sarasota. We do not know his thoughts about archaeology but he is a great guide to showcase the impressive material past for this region.
Too few residents know of the rich heritage of the Sarasota area. Rising sea levels puts much of the coastal heritage at risk of disruption. This brief tour travels through the major archaeological epochs for Sarasota/Manatee.
When Charles and his brother John came to Sarasota, they wanted to build up this frontier. Much of today’s Sarasota owes its look and brand to John Hamilton Gillespie, Bertha Palmer, Owen Burns, and the Ringlings. They created a new landscape, one that was popular with Americans from the Midwest and Northeast and led to the Sarasota of today: the Neo-Mediterranean homes, the entertainment, and the cultural and arts amenities attracted generations to the region.
Today we face the challenge of that landscape becoming inundated. The climate crisis for the region will be rising sea levels, increasing hurricanes, and higher temperatures which will change the cultural landscape. Either we will shape the landscape to ensure our traditions and best attributes are sustained or the transformations and erasures will shock us and the next generations. This tour gives a sense of the archaeology to imagine possible futures.
CULTURAL TIME PERIODS DISCUSSED ON THIS TOUR
PaleoIndian: 15,000-9,500 BP
Archaic: 9,500-2,500 BP
Manasota: 2,500-1,300 BP
Spanish Entrada: 1513-1540
Cuban Fisherfolk: 1770s
Maroons at Angola: 1812-1821
Seminole Wars: 1817-1842
Anglo-American Pioneers & Statehood: 1842-1845
Civil War: 1861-1865
Boom Times: 1880s-1920s
Florida Dream: 1920s-present