PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A group of local archeologists are trying to uncover more details about Panama City’s history.
Dr. Jason Wenzel, a professor at Gulf Coast State College, is leading the group in digging for artifacts at a home on West Beach Drive.
The home used to belong to Panama City’s Founder George West. It’s also believed to be the spot of the first Panama City settlers.
Archeologists and historians like Bob Hurst said discovering new artifacts is how we are able to get a clearer view of how people used to live, what they ate, what tools they used, and more.
The group has been digging for a couple of weeks and said they have already found several artifacts.
“A shell casing which I thought was rather exciting. It’s from a henry rifle. We like to think it was from the Civil War scrimmage,” Hurst said. “We found fish bones, and oyster shells that indicate what the Indians ate. A lady’s coin purse, and cut nails that were used for construction.”
The archeologists will continue digging up until May.
Hurst said you need to have experience in archaeological digging to join.
You can call Hurst with the Historical Society of Bay County, Dr. Jason Wenzel at Gulf Coast State College, or the old Panama City Publishing Company & Museum if you’re interested in exploring this property.
Bob Hurst- (850) 252-3334
Gulf Coast State College- (850) 769-1551
Panama City Publishing Company & Museum- (850) 872-7208
It’s also Florida Archaeology Month. The Historical Society of Bay County is hosting an event to commemorate the month at the Bay County Public Library.
Nicole Grinnan, who works with the Florida Public Archaeology Network, is going to give a presentation on Northwest Florida shipwrecks on Monday, March 27th.
