The Rehabilitation of Archaeological Materials from Marco Island, Florida

FAIN: PG-252747-17

Marco Island Historical Society (Marco Island, FL 34145-5028)
Austin James Bell (Project Director: April 2016 to June 2019)

Purchase of preservation supplies to rehouse a collection of site records and archaeological materials, including bone, wood, shell, stone, and ceramics, that document a native American history that spans more than 6,000 years on Marco Island, Florida.  The collection includes approximately 83 cubic feet of materials, in addition to 1,500 photographs and 350 negatives that derive from excavations conducted over the past century.  The sites include Key Marco, Caxambas Point Shell Midden, Horr’s Island Archaic Village, and Goodland Point.  The collections are used for research, education, and public programming.  This would be the institution’s first NEH award.

The MIHS is seeking a grant for the rehabilitation and long-term preservation of its collection of culturally significant archaeological materials. Marco Island is home to some of the most well-known archaeological sites in Florida. For more than 120 years, artifacts from Marco Island have been collected by revered institutions such as the Smithsonian and the British Museum. Now, the fledgling Marco Island Historical Museum is developing a collection of its own, largely a consequence of required modern archaeological surveys. The collection holds enormous potential as a resource for public access and academic research, but its accessibility is currently limited by inadequate curation and storage. Most materials are housed in deteriorating non-archival field bags and boxes, with any associated context in danger of being lost. A grant to the MIHS would ensure a comprehensive rehabilitation of these important collections so that they are preserved in perpetuity to benefit the public.

Media Coverage

Museum Studies alumnus Austin Bell awarded prestigious NEH Grant (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Katherine Loughrey
Publication: In The Loop
Date: 1/12/2017
Abstract: Article in the University of Florida's College of the Arts online newsletter "In The Loop" under the heading "Alumni News."
URL: http://arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/news/museum-studies-alum-austin-bell-awarded-prestigious-neh-grant/

Congratulations (Media Coverage)
Author(s): SEMC
Publication: Inside SEMC (Winter 2017)
Date: 2/10/2017
Abstract: An offer of congratulations from the Southeastern Museum Conference to its seven members that received NEH grants, including the Marco Island Historical Society.
URL: https://issuu.com/insidesemc/docs/inside_semc_winter_2017_-_southeast/64

MIHS Receives Prestigious NEH Grant (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Austin Bell
Publication: Coastal Breeze News
Date: 4/14/2017
Abstract: Submitted press release as authored by Austin Bell, Marco Island Historical Society.
URL: https://www.coastalbreezenews.com/articles/mihs-receives-prestigious-neh-grant/

Marco Island Historical Society receives NEH grant (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Austin Bell
Publication: Marco Eagle
Date: 4/14/2017
Abstract: Submitted press release as authored by Austin Bell, Marco Island Historical Society.
URL: https://www.marconews.com/story/news/2017/04/14/marco-island-historical-society-receives-neh-grant/100337074/

52 AASLH Members Receive Over $2 Million in NEH Grants (Media Coverage)
Publication: American Association for State and Local History Blog
Date: 1/19/2017
Abstract: An offer of congratulations from the American Association for State and Local History to its 52 members that received NEH grants, including the Marco Island Historical Society.
URL: http://blogs.aaslh.org/52-aaslh-members-receive-over-2-million-in-neh-grants/

Museum Studies graduate students complete internship at Marco Island Historical Society (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Rachel Sherman
Publication: In The Loop
Date: 7/17/2017
Abstract: Article in the University of Florida's College of the Arts online newsletter "In The Loop" under the heading "Sutdent Stories."
URL: https://arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/news/museum-studies-graduate-students-complete-internship-at-marco-island-historical-society/

MIHS Awarded Two Important Grants (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Austin Bell
Publication: Marco Island Historical Society Newsletter
Date: 6/1/2017
Abstract: Article authored by Austin Bell, Curator of Collections in the Marco Island Historical Society's quarterly newsletter.
URL: https://themihs.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/June-2017-newsletter4.pdf

Onward and Upward for the MIHM (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Austin Bell
Publication: Marco Island Historical Society Newsletter
Date: 3/1/2017
Abstract: Article authored by Austin Bell, Curator of Collections in the Marco Island Historical Society's quarterly newsletter.
URL: https://themihs.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/spring-2017-final.pdf

Associated Products

Handling of Collections at MIHS: An Anthropological Perspective (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Handling of Collections at MIHS: An Anthropological Perspective
Author: Morgan Andrews
Abstract: The Marco Island Historical Museum is a non-profit organization with the goal of preserving the history and heritage of Marco Island and the surrounding area. The museum opened in 2011, with funds raised by the Marco Island Historical Society. The Marco Island Historical Society received a grant to catalog and curate the artifacts which had been both excavated and donated to the museum by Marco Island residents. Previously, these artifacts were housed in boxes and bags that would not aid in preservation. It was the responsibility of interns to catalog the artifacts and switch them over to museum grade storage materials.
Date: 12/19/2017
Conference Name: Anthropology Colloquium, Florida Gulf Coast University

The Marco Island Historical Museum: A Crash Course in Curatorial Practice (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The Marco Island Historical Museum: A Crash Course in Curatorial Practice
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for undergraduate students in anthropology and museum studies.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 11/02/2017
Location: Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL

Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for the general public.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 11/16/2017
Location: Kiwanis Club of Marco Island, Marco Island, FL

Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for the general public.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 11/16/2017
Location: Daughters of the American Revolution, Marco Island, FL

Exhibit Development at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Exhibit Development at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for undergraduate students in anthropology and museum studies.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 02/22/2018
Location: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Exhibit Development at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Exhibit Development at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for undergraduate students in anthropology and museum studies.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 02/12/2018
Location: Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL

Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for the general public.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 03/15/2018
Location: Aquarius, Marco Island, FL

Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for the general public.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 04/20/2018
Location: Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club, Sanibel, FL

Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Making History at the Marco Island Historical Museum
Abstract: Overview of ongoing work at the Marco Island Historical Museum, developed particularly for the general public.
Author: Austin Bell
Date: 07/11/2018
Location: Just Friends Club, Marco Island, FL

MIHS Collections Database (Web Resource)
Title: MIHS Collections Database
Author: Kaitlin Romey
Author: Austin Bell
Abstract: Online searchable collections database via PastPerfect Online, launched in January 2018.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://themihs.pastperfectonline.com/

Rehabilitation of the Marco Island Historical Society’s Archaeological Collections: A National Endowment for the Humanities Project to Curate Recent Collections from Now-Legendary Sites in Southwest Florida (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Rehabilitation of the Marco Island Historical Society’s Archaeological Collections: A National Endowment for the Humanities Project to Curate Recent Collections from Now-Legendary Sites in Southwest Florida
Author: Austin J. Bell
Author: Katie Romey
Author: Morgan Andrews
Author: Kristin Conwill
Author: Mara Reynolds
Author: Casey Wooster
Author: Rosemarie Fusco
Abstract: In 2016, the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) received a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to purchase preservation supplies necessary to rehouse the entirety of its archaeological holdings from Marco Island, Florida. Sites represented in the collections include Key Marco, Caxambas Point, and Horr’s Island, which have been well-known to archaeologists in Florida for a century. Between January 2017 and July 2018, with the assistance of student interns, the MIHS successfully rehabilitated these collections so that they not only be adequately preserved, but also be made readily available to academic researchers and the general public.
Date: 5/11/2019
Primary URL: https://fasweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/FAS-2019-presentation-schedule_FINAL.pdf
Primary URL Description: Conference schedule (see p.19)
Conference Name: 71st Annual Meeting of the Florida Anthropological Society

Too Small To Fail: A National Endowment for the Humanities Funded Project to Curate Archaeological Collections at a Small Southwest Florida Museum (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Too Small To Fail: A National Endowment for the Humanities Funded Project to Curate Archaeological Collections at a Small Southwest Florida Museum
Author: Katie Romey
Author: Austin J. Bell
Abstract: In 2016, the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) received a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to purchase preservation supplies necessary to rehouse the entirety of its archaeological holdings from Marco Island, Florida. Sites represented in the collections are world-renowned and have been well-known to archaeologists in Florida for a century. Between January 2017 and July 2018, with the assistance of student interns, the MIHS successfully rehabilitated these collections so that they not only be adequately preserved, but also be made readily available to academic researchers and the general public. The MIHS was the only organization to receive a Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions in Florida and the only non-university organization to receive an NEH grant of any kind in the State of Florida in 2016.
Date: 08/30/2019
Primary URL: http://download.aaslh.org/2019+Annual+Meeting/OnsiteProgram+Philly+FINAL.pdf
Primary URL Description: Conference schedule (see p.11)
Conference Name: American Association for State and Local History 2019 Annual Meeting

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