Ancient Boca Raton: The Barnhill Mound and the Tequesta
Boca Raton has a mound said to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old, tied to the Tequesta, Jeaga and Ais peoples. Michael Lloyd’s photograph and story of the Barnhill Mound, first published in 2010.
A mound older than Boca Raton itself
Another year, a new decade — and what better way to start than to look to the past and wonder about the future? As promised in our Africa U.S.A. post, here was the next whopper of a secret: ancient Boca Raton.
It is hard to believe Boca had ancient times, but there was such a time and place. This mound is in Boca Raton, and it is said to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old. I photographed it myself.
Who lived here?
The Barnhill Mound and the nearby village are said to have been occupied centuries ago by the Tequesta, the Jeaga and the Ais peoples, who lived along Florida’s southeast coast long before European settlement.
From tourist attraction to development
The owners of Africa U.S.A. also tried to turn the area into a tourist attraction, but tourist traffic dwindled after Interstate 95 was built. Sadly, in the 1980s the land was sold to build what is now the Boca Marina Yacht Club development.
A site like this should have been set aside, the way the Miami Circle was preserved in Miami. But I guess at the time, progress and development won out.
Why we photograph Boca Raton’s history
Lloyd’s Studio has been in Boca Raton for decades, and this historic photographs series was our way of sharing the city’s hidden past. Photographs are often the only lasting record of places like this.
If you have old family photographs of Boca Raton or South Florida that are faded, torn or damaged, we can restore them. An appointment is always required.