Photo: National Parks Service Photo by C. Sproul
The National Parks Service revealed that a team of divers discovered a 19th-century hospital and cemetery underwater in Dry Tortugas National Park.
The hospital was located on a submerged island off the coast of Key West, Florida. It was used as a quarantine hospital for people infected with yellow fever after the Civil War.
While dozens of people were buried at the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery, divers were able to identify one grave, which belonged to John Greer. He was employed as a laborer at the fort and died there on November 5, 1861. Unfortunately, the researchers were unable to find any information about his death.
Most of the people buried in the cemetery were soldiers, but several, like Greer, were civilians.
"This intriguing find highlights the potential for untold stories in Dry Tortugas National Park, both above and below the water," said Josh Marano, maritime archeologist for the South Florida national parks and project director for the survey. "Although much of the history of Fort Jefferson focuses on the fortification itself and some of its infamous prisoners, we are actively working to tell the stories of the enslaved people, women, children, and civilian laborers."