About
Founded in 1990 the Center for Historical Archaeology is a non-profit scientific organization based in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The Center provides archival research in French, English, and Spanish archives, underwater sites assessment and dating, and cultural material analysis. The center is a nonprofit organization according to the meanings of sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(A)(vi) of the United States Internal Revenue Code (FID Nº 59-3054027). Its purposes are:
- To promote research in French and Spanish colonial area in the fields of archival research and cultural anthropology, including archaeology and ethnology.
- To publish educational materials and research findings.
The Center’s director, Dr. John de Bry, is a paleographer specializing in sixteenth century through eighteenth century English, French, and Spanish manuscripts, and has conducted extensive research in English, French, Cuban, and Spanish repositories for well over two decades. He is a member of the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), and a member of the Florida Archaeological Council (FAC).
As an historical archaeologist Dr. de Bry has also participated in a number of field excavation projects, both terrestrial and underwater, in the United States, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Madagascar, and the Philippines. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History and a doctorate in Post-Medieval History.
The Center for Historical Archaeology has participated in numerous research and field projects with a variety of organizations for the past twenty years, several of which are ongoing. Organizations include the University of Florida, Ships of Discovery, the Turks and Caicos National Museum, the Cayman Islands National Archives, the Texas Historical Commission, the State of North Carolina’s Department of Cultural Resources, the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. The National Museum of the Philippines, Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and Southeastern Archaeological Research (SEARCH, Inc.), to name a few.