Archaeological Dig Uncovers Historic Tavern

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- Off the beaten path from bustling St. George Street in St. Augustine, tucked into the back streets, there are quaint bars, cozy restaurants, and tiny B&B's.

There is also a vacant corner lot of Cuna Street and Spanish Street which appears to have once been a happening hot spot of its own. Granted, it was a couple hundred years ago.

An archaeological dig is underway on the corner lot that has a picket fence wrapped around it.

The City of St. Augustine's Archaeologist, Carl Halbirt, leads a team of archaeologists there.

A scattering of rectangular holes in the dirt that are only a few feet long and about a foot wide that are scattered across the lot are "windows to the past," Halbirt explained.

And, apparently, the "past" at this corner was a social one!

"We think we have a possible tavern here," Halbirt said bluntly.

A tavern from the late 1700's!

Even the tourists gathered to check this out.

Halbirt and his team uncovered the foundations to three buildings on this property. One dates from 1690 - 1710, another was built between 1720 - 1820, and third foundation supported a building from 1780 - 1820.

Halbirt found many artifacts around the foundation of that third building, which leads him to believe it was a swinging Spanish bar.

There was a handful of old pipe stems, a large metal hook that would have hung a cooking pot over a over a fireplace, and even three spanish coins.

Halbirt said finding three coins in one place is a big deal.

"We've never found that anywhere else except in the plaza (St. Augustine's city square), and you would expect to find it in the plaza. That was a place of business," Halbirt said.

But here's more reason to believe there was a tavern on this corner.

In another archaeological pit on the same property, Halbirt and his team uncovered the foundation to another younger colonial building, and it's foundation was made out of...broken bottles!

Guess where the colonists got those from. Halbirt said the bottles, and even old tumblers, came from the old tavern and that they were "convenient" construction materials. Then a layer of tabby and oyster shells was laid over the glass.

Halbirt was amazed at the broken-bottle foundation. He says he only knows of one other site where bottles were used to help with construction.

So cheers...to a historic discovery of a happening hot-spot hundreds of years old.

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