Aerial photo of the Miami Circle. The septic tank is in the middle to the far left of the circle.
The Miami circle is totally different than: Coral Castle. http://www.coralcastle.com/
Posted on 01/03/2008 1:08:31 PM PST by BGHater
The 2,000-year-old site remains under temporary protection laid in 2003.
Nine years ago, an array of American Indians, environmentalists, preservationists, New Age spiritualists, diviners, even Cub Scouts rose up to save the Miami Circle, a 2,000-year-old artifact that many embraced as America's own Stonehenge.
But today, the Circle -- a series of loaf-shaped holes chiseled into the limestone bedrock at the mouth of the Miami River -- is interred beneath bags of sand and gravel, laid over the formation in 2003 to protect it from the elements.
And though taxpayers shelled out $27.6 million to purchase the 38-foot Circle and its surrounding two acres, visitors to the site's planned archaeological park likely will never see the actual work of some of Miami's earliest inhabitants.
"At this point, we don't know a way," said Ryan Wheeler, Florida's state archaeologist. "Maybe in 50 or 100 years archaeologists will have all kinds of technology . . . that we can't imagine today."
The reburial was supposed to be temporary, while officials settled on a plan to manage and display the Circle, which has inspired as many theories about its origin and function as it has claims about its spiritual energy and mystical powers.
Wheeler and other experts who have studied the Circle think the holes were dug by the Tequesta Indians to support wooden posts for a tribal center or other important structure. But it has been theorized to be everything from a celestial observatory to a landing pad for aliens.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Aerial photo of the Miami Circle. The septic tank is in the middle to the far left of the circle.
The Miami circle is totally different than: Coral Castle. http://www.coralcastle.com/
They can’t put up a roof and a fence?
All types of preservation, be it open space, everglades restoration, historical and archaeological preservation, in the state of FL has been severely curtailed at the Federal level to pay for the war in Iraq, and at the state level due to precipitously dropping property tax and retail and wholesale sales tax receipts.
It’s a shame, historic 19th century buildings in central Oralndo and Miami and Tampa have been sold off and demolished, the Everglades restoration project is dead in the water for at least the next 3 years, before even 1% of the project was finished on the ground, and open space advocates have lost almost all battles against rapacious land developers in Central and South Florida.
This circle in Miami is so low on the list of sites to preserve it will only remain intact due to neglect, benign neglect at best.
Like Florida can't preserve its own history without Uncle Sugar Daddy...?
bump for the list.
Related article you indexed to GGG in 2003:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/937103/posts
Thaks for the info, no matter how depressing. I do hope the glades survive. Years ago when I lived in Naples, I thoroughly enjoyed driving home from Miami on 42 at night with the sunroof open to let the scent and sounds of the swamp in — for awhile. Of course I worried about snakes dropping in from overhanging trees — but not very much.
“landing pad for aliens”
That’s got my vote.
$28 million for 2 acres??
Perhaps they could find a private party to lease the property and create a covered research facility to study the circle, teaching opportunities, science center and charge the public to view the activities, etc.??
Our family years ago went to a dinosaur dig site and the kids (and me!) loved it. Seeing the bones, footprints, and watching the paleontoligists working on them with one as a guide. Walked on boardwalks right next to the work and got close-up views of everything.
I thought that was in NH?
Why else do you think the government paid so much money for the site and then only to cover it up (literally) with dirt. ;)
Seems like a lot of prehistoric ruins qualify as ‘something or other’ Stonehenge. North Salem might actually be related to the Stonehenge in England.
http://www.stonehengeusa.com/
http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~sgb/SillyPictures/Carhenge.jpg
$28 million for 2 acres??
I agree with you. After reading that, claims that FL doesn’t have enough money to pay for the preservation of its historic sites sound more like a racket to me.
It would be interesting to see who got that bonus from the taxpayers and what ties that person had with the local government.
Bordered by both a river and an ocean? The holes could have been used for season indicators or counters visible to fishermen, etc.
But if you want a UFO landing pad: The World’s First UFO Landing Pad is in St. Paul Alberta
If this was truly an Indian artifact, it should be returned to the Indians so that they can put a Casino and Hotel there. It’s only fair.
It’s the septic tank that gives it mystical powers.
It wasn't like it stood out.
Although, I think they did trademark "America's Stonehenge".
But it's been a while since my friends talked about it.
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