There are continuous faculty-directed archaeology research and grant projects in which students get hands-on experiences in the Pensacola area and surrounding region. Senior internships with regional and national employers and research institutes provide valuable and practical on-the-job training. Bioarchaeology students get hands-on experience in forensic cases and field schools and we are expanding our archaeology research program into Mexico.

Colonial Historical Archaeology

Pensacola was one of a handful of colonial period communities in the Southeastern United States. Colonial historical archaeology is a major focus of the Archaeology Institute and several extensive grant and contract sponsored investigations have been conducted both on land and underwater. Terrestrial investigations have been conducted at the well preserved 1698-1722 Spanish presidio, Santa Maria de Galve, the 1722-1752 Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa, the 1754-1763 Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola, the 1763-1781 British Fort of Pensacola, the 1781-1821 Spanish town of Pensacola, and recently the 1741-1761 Mission San Joseph de Escambe.

Maritime Archaeology

Maritime Archaeology at the University of West Florida is dedicated to the preservation of submerged cultural resources in northwest Florida and the southeastern United States. The program kicked off its initial field season in 1997 with the excavation of the Emanuel Point Ship in partnership with the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. Currently, maritime archaeologists Dr. John Bratten and Greg Cook direct field investigations and conduct research with the assistance of the students of UWF. Projects have provided students from all over the United States and Canada with opportunities in underwater archaeology through field schools, directed studies, and archaeology courses. Senior level graduate student field school directors often receive funding assistance. Five flags have flown over Pensacola, creating an intricate historical record. The bay is rich with resources recounting this diverse cultural heritage.

Prehistoric Archaeology

The University of West Florida has and will continue to conduct investigations on prehistoric sites. Our Institute has performed survey, testing, and excavation level investigations at a wide range of prehistoric site types in the West Florida area including shell middens, shell rings, non-shell middens, mounds, and cemeteries. Sites from all the major prehistoric periods have been investigated: PaleoIndian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian. While most investigations have been at the survey and recording level, we have tested scores of sites, and have conducted extensive excavations at several. The prehistoric sites at which we have conducted the most extensive investigations are an Early Woodland Stage Deptford shell midden on Pensacola Bay known as Hawkshaw (50 B.C.-A.D. 250) and a Middle Woodland Santa Rosa-Swift Creek shell ring on Escambia Bay (A.D. 400-650).