Quarantine hospital discovered on submerged island in Florida

2023-05-04 02:02:51

The ruins of a sunken former quarantine hospital have been discovered by a team of archaeologists on a submerged island located in the Dry Tortugas National Park, in the Florida region, USA. This hospital was used in the 19th century to isolate and treat patients with yellow fever.

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The remains of that hospital were found by a team comprised of members of the national park’s cultural resources, along with the National Park Service’s Undersea Resources Center, Southeast Archaeological Center, and a University of Miami graduate student — in August 2022 , during a search.

Unsigned watercolor of a quarantine hospital and adjacent cemetery on an island in the Dry Tortugas. Image: National Park Service

Climate change and storms are primarily responsible for sinking the structure of the building, causing it to disappear among the waves. The hospital’s focus was to treat yellow fever in the Fort Jefferson area on the island adjacent to Garden Key.

• Fort Jefferson was noted for being one of the largest fortresses in the United States in the 19th century;
• It was occupied by American troops focused on protecting the sea route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida;
• Thanks to its great location, the fort also served as a port for ships to supply or rest during storms.

This fort also recorded historic moments during the American Civil War. It served as a prison for inmates like Dr Samuel Mudd — famous for plotting against Abraham Lincoln.

After the war, the space continued to be used to supply ships and for services to nearby islands, as a lighthouse station, quarantine facility and even as a training camp for military personnel.

With information from IFLScience

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