LARGEST - Indian artifact discovered in Florida - Deland, Florida, USA - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

The “Hontoon Owl Totem” as it is locally known was discovered in 1955 buried in muck on Hontoon Island in the St. Johns River. It is the largest pre-Columbian wood carving found in Florida, and the only totem of its kind in the eastern United States.

An engraved plaque at the site reads as follows:

“The Owl Clan

The Timucuan Indians that once lived along the St. Johns River often used a carved object as a symbol to identify the “Clan” that occupied a particular site.

About 600 years ago the Indians who lived here cut a large pine tree and using a shell axe and a shark-tooth knife fashioned this totem which was erected near the river so that all who passed would know this was the village of the “Owl Clan”.

This is a replica of the original totem discovered in 1955 while excavating the marina across the river. The original is on display at the Florida State Museum in Gainesville. To date this is the largest Indian artifact discovered in Florida. “

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Type of documentation of superlative status: Metal plaque at base of the owl totem Location of coordinates: At the base of the owl totem Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/10/2021 hart612 visited it