Natural disasters such as Hurricane Irma are putting the nation at risk of losing parts of our American heritage. The monster storm hit St. Augustine, Fla., with flooding and surge, creating grave concerns for the national monuments Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas. Made from coquina, a fragile sedimentary rock comprised of mostly shell, these masonry forts face ongoing threats from erosion and storm damage.
Lori Collins, PhD, and Travis Doering, PhD, and their team of researchers from the Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections with the USF Libraries are working with the National Park Service to preserve the sites using 3D imaging and photogrammetry techniques that will allow for more robust management, interpretation and research into construction and conservation aspects for these sites into the future. This critical project will also assist in documenting the forts’ histories and use by the British, Spanish, Native Americans, Colonial African Americans and other cultural influences.
National monument Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Fla.
The pair will also lead
a team from USF that will work alongside the National Park Service
Southeast Archeological Center to document sites in the Florida
Everglades, near Irma’s landfall. They’ll use their high-tech surveying
technologies to record and assess imperiled historic and prehistoric sites in
Everglades National Park.
“Florida is home to a number of significant heritage resources that face
threats from storms, vandalism, and even development and encroachment,” Collins
says. “Our 3D tools are helping solve real-world problems, and strengthen the
capacities of our Federal, State, and government agencies.”
The USF team will conduct their research Oct. 16 to 18 at Castillo de San Marcos
and Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine. The Florida Everglades project begins
this winter.
Story by Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing