Discoveries from the Garrison
Kelsey Kreiser
The Garrison Neighborhood, established in 1896, was the first Black-owned neighborhood in Tampa. Until the 1940s the neighborhood flourished with Black-owned businesses, schools, and churches. Despite this, few mentions of the neighborhood exist in archaeological reports of the area. Downtown Tampa’s archaeological requirements prioritizes the National Register eligible Fort Brooke site, leaving this unique Black neighborhood underutilized in the study of Tampa’s diverse early pioneers. Since 2016 Stantec has been excavating portions of the Garrison, including the Caesar Street School, an African Methodist Episcopal Church, storefronts, and numerous residences. Through the artifact assemblages of these sites a greater understanding can be gleaned of life in this important Tampa neighborhood.
This monthly Archaeology Lecture series is co-sponsored by the Alliance for Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society (CGCAS) and Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE).