As my time draws to an end working as an archaeological resource assistant with the US Forest Service, I'd like to reflect on all that I accomplished and all that was made possible BECAUSE of this program.

While working as an RA I developed a database of all African-American archaeological sites within Florida's three national forests, I wrote a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Doe Lake Recreation Building, a significant structure built specifically for African-American recreation during the deep south's segregation era.

I performed microscopic analysis of prehistoric ceramics, some as old as 4000 years old, and developed a database for cataloguing the ceramics analyzed.

I analyzed raw lithic materials used for making stone tools and even performed ultraviolet radiation testing on them to make them glow!

I performed extensive background research into the history of the Apalachicola National Forest during the early 20th century to make determinations of archaeological site eligibilty for the National Register of Historic Places and was even able to determine some sites as significant, saving them from future commercial projects.

I was able to spend time in all three national forests: Apalachicola, Osceola, and Ocala, and I was able to find wonderful mentors who have committed themselves to ensuring my success with my future employment with the Forest Service. 

I planned and executed an archaeological expedition along the St. Johns River within the Ocala National Forest to locate archaeological sites and was able to correct site coordinates through this project and even located 2 additional unreported Indigenous mound sites.

I was able to perform extensive fieldwork and live the daily life of a forest archaeologist. I was able to fulfill my dream of archaeology and look forward to a permanent career in forest archaeology.

This has been a wonderful opportunity that has both humbled me and made me more sure of my career choice. I look forward to how I can continue to improve upon the Forest Service's mission, promote more public archaeology, and use my career to give voice to the people and cultures lost or silenced throughout time.

Thank you MANO Project and thank you Hispanic Access Foundation for this once in a lifetime opportunity! I am forever grateful.

-Taylor Collore

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: National Forests in Florida - Supervisors Office

Hurricane Michael wreaked havoc within the Apalachicola National Forest in 2018 felling trees and tearing up archaeological sites. One such site is the Negro Fort at Prospect Bluff. This site is listed as a National Historical Landmark and is incredibly important for both African-American history and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

In the early 1800s this fort was established by the British along the Apalachicola River and served as a beacon of hope for the enslaved residing in Georgia and South Carolina. The fort was inhabited by enslaved runaways, free black persons, and black Seminole who, following the War of 1812 and the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, were considered emanicipated once they set foot on British-controlled lands.

Americans hated this symbol of freedom which threatened their labor force. On July 27, 1816, American Ships rained cannon fire down on the fort which at this point housed over 300 people, but the fort was massive and well built and very difficult to siege. In a last ditch effort, the Americans created "hot shots" cannonballs which are superheated in the galley of the ships and loaded into cannons. Their likely intent was to reach the back side of the fort to burn the houses there to the ground.

By sheer luck for the Americans, a hotshot pierced the roof of the fort's ammunition storage, which contained massive amounts of gunpowder and powder kegs, causing an immense explosion that killed nearly everyone within the fort. This included women and children. The massacre was near unbearable to look at when the Americans entered the fort, with some describing the scene as unimaginable horror.

This history is being further investigated using new archaeological technologies to tell the real story of the people who lived within the fort. The USFS and the National Park Service are working together to restore the site after Hurrican Michael's destruction. NPS is also using ground penetrating radar to locate where the unmarked graves of all those who died that night. Discovery Science Channel is also involved, filming a documentary of the site on location to remind everyone of what happened that night.

We as a nation still have a long road ahead of us in telling the actual history of America, rather than the one that espouts our victories, but efforts are actively being made, like at Prospect Bluff, to ensure those peoples sacrifices are not forgotten.

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

An issue that many services and organizations face involving data is where and how to access it. I have spent the past couple weeks gathering all known information about historic and archaeological African American sites to create a centralized database with detailed descriptions for each known site. One major issue with building this database is the failure by previous archaeologists to acknowledge archaeological sites as African American in origin. We have so far identified 13 sites spread across the three national forests of Florida, some are homesteads for African American millworkers dating back to the late 19th century, some are recreation areas established specifically for African Americans, some are entire African American settlements, and some are the sites of historic battles.

One of the sites, Doe Lake Recreation Area, is currently under review to have restoration work done to the beautiful Historic Dining Hall. The dining hall was erected in the 1930s as a place for African American youth recreation during a time when segregation was in full swing. The hall was constructed by Theodore Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) using pine from the very forest that surrounds it and architecture indicative of the region at the time. The Dining Hall served Florida's African American youths until the early 1980s when the building was ultimately condemned and expected to be demolished. Forest archaeologist Alan Dorian fought to save the dining hall due to its historical significance and in 1993 was completely rehabilitated for use again.

Now, 28 years later the building is beginning to show its age and is under review with Florida's State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) to restore some of the dilapidating original features such as the brick chimneys and wood trusses. 

I am developing this database to facilitate better care of African American sites, as well as provide the basis for further sites to be added. Hopefully, this is only the beginning for the US Forest Service to acknowledge and honor the significance of historic sites by all cultural groups in America and work to create a narrative of many perspectives.

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: National Forests in Florida - Supervisors Office

Taylor Collore is a Navy veteran and a current graduate student at the University of Central Florida studying archaeology. Over the last year Taylor has worked alongside Forest Service archaeologists in Florida’s Ocala National Forest with the objective of protecting and preserving the forest’s cultural resources. For his thesis, Taylor is analyzing LiDAR data of the Ocala National Forest seeking potentially undiscovered Indigenous people’s mound sites for protection and preservation purposes. The forest captivates and motivates Taylor to work towards protecting the forest and its resources. Taylor seeks a position where he can enact change that will provide continued protection for generations to come.