Water from Stone: Archaeology and Conservation at Florida’s Springs

Southern Anthropological Society James Mooney Award



An archaeological study of Florida’s springs that shows the importance of springs to Florida’s people over thousands of years.



Throughout their history, Florida’s springs have been gathering places for far-flung peoples. In Water from Stone,
Jason O’Donoughue discusses the genesis of springs and their role as
sites of habitation, burials, ritualized feasting, and monument building
for Florida’s earliest peoples.



O’Donoughue moves
beyond a focus on the ecological roles of springs and the popular image
of springs as timeless and pristine--approaches taken by many
archaeologists and conservationists. Instead, he foregrounds the social
and historical importance of springs and their ongoing use as gathering
places that draw people for ritual purposes even today. This
archaeological viewpoint creates a bridge between past and present,
encouraging conservation efforts that focus on the intrinsic value of
springs as places of personal experience and social interaction with
deep historical significance. To save the springs, O’Donoughue argues,
we must recognize the relevance of the past to the problems Florida’s
artesian springs face today.



A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series



Jason O’Donoughue is an archaeologist at the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research in Tallahassee. He is coeditor of The Archaeology of Events: Cultural Change and Continuity in the Pre-Columbian Southeast.