Della Scott-Ireton|History is the Real Treasure:The 1733 Spanish Galleon Trail
Thu Mar 7, 6:00 PM - Thu Mar 7, 7:00 PM

Presented by Della Scott-Ireton
The Spanish treasure fleet of 1733 wrecked in a violent hurricane along 80 miles of the Florida Keys. With the discovery of the first shipwreck in the late 1940s and the growth of scuba diving in the 1950s and 60s enabling treasure hunters to locate most of the rest of the fleet, these wrecks suffered from haphazard digging and the loss of much information. Today, these shipwrecks are among the oldest and most vibrant artificial reefs in the Keys. This lecture describes a State of Florida project to record and interpret the 1733 fleet that resulted in the production of a booklet and website devoted to telling the story of the fleet disaster and to promoting the archaeological importance of the sunken ships as tangible remains of our maritime heritage.






About the Speaker
Dr. Della Scott-Ireton graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and a Master's degree in Historical Archaeology. She also has a Master's in International Relations from Troy University, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Florida State University. Della is certified as a Scuba Instructor with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). She worked with the Pensacola Shipwreck Survey, West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc., Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the government of the Cayman Islands before joining the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN.us) where she serves as Associate Director. Della is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and member of the Florida Archaeological Council, and has served on the board of the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, and the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. Della's research interests include public interpretation of maritime cultural heritage, both on land and under water, and training and engaging “citizen scientists” in archaeological methods and practices.