Expert: ‘We are losing archaeology ...’

Can you imagine living in an era where hobbies include carving canoes from mere conch shells? Florida’s ancestors have done that and more.

As part of Florida’s archaeological month, the Seminole Historical Society gathered March 29 at the Seminole Community Library to hear a program on early ancestry.

The guest speaker was Loren Blakeley, former president of the Florida Anthropological Society, who has had an unyielding interest in artifacts since very young, even as his parents would plead with him to stop collecting his “garbage bags” full of fossils and artifacts. His interest continues today.

“Regionally we are losing archaeology due to our development,” said Blakeley. “Everyone must make an effort to preserve heritage, so we all should become preservationists.”