By Steve Richards

Is this musket ball the oldest firearm artifact in South Florida?

Can the history of South Florida be told through one tiny artifact? A single musket ball?

Looks like. So much so that we could easily dedicate an entire film to tell the stories it inspires. Stories that cover more than 300 years, from Ponce De Leon in 1513 to the sacking of the Cape Florida Lighthouse in 1836 – and the pirates in between.

It all starts in Key Biscayne with Ponce De Leon stepping foot on the island just across the Rickenbacker Causeway from Miami in 1513. Looking for gold, the Fountain of Youth, and easily enslaved natives – none of which he found - he didn’t stay long. But we can assume he brought Matchlock Muskets with him. (Ponce was on Columbus’ second expedition to the New World). That being said we have no surviving artifact(s) from the visit.

​Or do we?

We are in the process of identifying and documenting the oldest guns from South Florida’s history for our new documentary So Flo Guns.
This musket ball was found near the Cape Florida Lighthouse at the very tip of Key Biscayne. Built in 1825 it is the oldest structure in South Florida and the site of a Seminole sacking in 1836 – a major event of the Seminole wars of Andrew Jackson’s day.

In research for the film I knew that Key Biscayne and Cape Florida were huge to the story. So out I drove one afternoon and was directed by the guardhouse rangers to Art Levy, Park Services Specialist at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. He is the keeper of the archives, and the stories. He’s also about to retire and is organizing the materials which have been collected over the years so he can pass them down to the next keeper of the flame before he leaves in October.

When I told him what I was up to he quickly pulled from deep in an old filing cabinet the musket ball he is holding. It had apparently been dug up by a beachcomber with a metal detector back in 1981.

This is likely a very important artifact given its provenience, a fancy word that basically means we know when, where, and even who found it. And given that Art has tucked it away all these years we can also assume it’s not forgery, not that anyone would bother.

Certainly old musket balls aren’t uncommon. But the only known musket ball dug up on Cape Florida? Now that’s fascinating and could fill a film or two on its own just from all the imagining it generates.

Like what? Well, it comes down to not really knowing what this musket ball is, when it was presumably fired, who fired it, where it was made, etc. All of which is the purview of archaeologists, scientists, and others that dig into such things.

​There seem to be several possibilities which include:

1. Ponce is responsible having maybe fired it to impress the Tequesta Indians he met in 1513.
2. It was fired by one of the two keepers during the lighthouse battle in 1836.
3. It was fired by one of the Seminole Indians during the battle.
4. It was fired by the keepers, or someone else, but not during the battle as the lighthouse was built a decade earlier and still stands today.
5. Pirates were responsible for it as the area was part of their domain for much of the intervening centuries.
6. It’s just a lead ball. Fact is though that we can’t even say that for sure!

I suggest we treat it with the respect it deserves and bring in scientists. Because while it is perhaps most likely that this musket ball is from the 19th century, we really don’t know. So we will be reaching out in the course of filming So Flo Guns to historians, archaeologists, metallurgists, gun experts, and the like.

For instance, we can perhaps determine the source of the lead in the ball with lead isotope analysis and other research methods to know whether the ball is of American or Spanish origin. Or somewhere else. This might also help determine who shot it – assuming it was shot at all.

A fascinating study of lead artifacts from the Lewis and Clark Expedition goes into tremendous depths along these same lines and presumably gives a road map for how to research our little ball. Elemental analysis of nineteenth century lead artifacts from Lewis and Clark and Hudson's Bay sites of the Pacific Northwest (umt.edu)

We can also examine the caliber and structure of the ball itself and match it to others that exist in musket ball databases.

Who cares? Anyone who is interested in guns in America and how we got to our present-day gun environment.

Is it 16th century Spanish or 19th century American? Was it fired by a Seminole or one of two lighthouse keepers fighting for their lives. We may never know. But It certainly shows how such a little thing can get us asking the right questions.

A potential next step? The Geochron Laboratories / Krueger Enterprises Isotopic Analyses (geochronlabs.com) outside Boston. They are the ones that can tell us what there is to be known about the metallurgy and chemical makeup of the ball if Art and the folks at the park on Cape Florida would allow.

We had a major celebration on July 4th with three bands, three food trucks, three security guards, and one stage.

Which is kind of a miracle given that Elsa was chugging towards us and rain in July is not exactly uncommon around here. But skies cleared the day before and we had sunshine all day long allowing a nice mix of folks from the neighborhood, the broader community via our online promotions, and friends old and new.

It was hot though with temps in the 90’s and a cloudless sky for most of the afternoon. Which meant our performers were baking in the sun, but they all performed with great energy on the stage on St. Luke’s lawn with a sound system that Frank the soundman made sound awesome! The performances by Pangea, PJ Aviles, and The Real Deal Band were all top notch as we knew they would be. Fortunately for the rest of us shade was plentiful under the trees and by the time Pangea went on around 6:30 the temps had dipped a bit and the full promise of the event showed itself with folks gathering from the community to see what was going on.

There was also melancholy in the atmosphere as we remembered the Surfside tragedy unfolding as we went with our flags at half-staff. This also meant speaker(s) bowed out, which we understood. We had rethought whether we were going to move forward at all given the circumstances but decided to move ahead as we felt this July 4th in particular needed to be celebrated given the year we all just lived through.

This was the first attempt at an event like this at St. Luke’s and while we were sure we would pull it off we had our share of issues. Like where the stage would go exactly, how long it would take to set up and get going given that we didn’t want to interrupt morning services, where the food trucks should park, how many security guards were needed, how many portable toilets, etc.

It was a great way to kick off our fundraising effort for So Flo Guns (SoFloGuns.com) which begins in earnest next week. I am still struck that another Miami mass shooting happened less than two miles from our office at St. Luke’s in Kendall just weeks ago. (Deadly mass shooting near Miami area college campus | Miami Herald) This continues to be a poignant reminder that the issues our documentary addresses affect all of us. None of us are immune to these risks in our midst. Our events going forward will focus on gun violence and 2nd Amendment issues – with elements from the film’s musicians, music, experts, and footage to forge engaging events.

So Flo Guns is the new feature documentary from TheoEco about guns in South Florida past, present, and the future. From Ponce De Leon’s arrival on Key Biscayne in 1513, to pirates in the Keys, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, to Seminoles and Soldiers in the 1800s, to gangsters in the early 1900s, to the Cocaine Cowboys, to Parkland, we have a long and tangled relationship with guns, and their evolving lethalness.

For this event we departed from the So Flo Guns theme. July 4th is meant to be celebrated as those that came can attest given all the dancing going on. Thanks very much to Ariel Eva, Dorian Reyes, Raymond Daniel, Pangea, The Real Deal Band, Jim Cribb, Lyle Lingle, the food trucks, Eddie Baez at Professional Security, Moe’s Rental, the Ladies of St. Luke’s, and all the rest.

And if you haven’t yet donated we would greatly appreciate any size donation to help defray our costs of the event. We have extended the date to July 31st and have so far raised about $1,500 of our $6,800 breakeven goal. To donate click here.

PJ takes the stage at 4 PM.

Miami based Cuban American singer/songwriter PJ Aviles is well known amongst Miami musicians for his extraordinary talent. He is less known to the rest of us though we hope to correct that a bit on July 4th.

PJ works closely with Dorian Reyes who has produced and recorded several of the 23-year old’s recordings over the past few years, having been brought together by other musicians who appreciated the new talent. Dorian, when pressed for a comparison likens PJ to a John Mayer kind of guitar-based performance vibe, “He is a fabulous musician and awesome soul.”

That’s obviously a lot to live up to and we are eagerly anticipating his solo acoustic set of originals - and maybe a cover or two - on St. Luke’s stage on the lawn at our July 4th Celebration in Kendall.

It’s been a tough year for musicians everywhere and Covid has put most in a tough place. But the light is shining at the end of the proverbial tunnel. This event is meant to support this reemergence and will be the first live show many will have seen in some time.

​All are invited to this free event sponsored by TheoEco and St. Luke the Physician Episcopal (Anglican) Church. We are flying our flags at half-staff in remembrance of Surfside and will be remembering them all day on our nation's 245th birthday.

Lyle Lingle, Jim Cribb and the rest take the stage at 2 PM.

The Real Deal Band is South Florida’s top classic rock act with iconic musicians from these parts and local legend Lyle Lingle born and raised just a few miles from where they will be performing on the 4th of July in Kendall.

The Real Deal Band is the fortunate ensemble that has managed to play regularly through the pandemic at outdoor events throughout South Dade including Club Glades in Homestead and the farmers market off of Chrome Avenue.

We are expecting a bonanza of classic rock favorites from Bad Company, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, to Led Zeppelin, and so much more from these top musicians in our midst.

​All are invited to this free event sponsored by TheoEco and St. Luke the Physician Episcopal (Anglican) Church. 

Pangea - Dorian Reyes, Raymond Daniel Rodriguez, and the rest take the stage for their first post-Covid performance at 6 PM.

Born in Cuba, Raymond Daniel Rodríguez is a tremendous guitarist, as well as composer, singer, arranger, sound engineer and accomplished producer. Living in Havana until the end of 2013 he was hired with his group to tour the United States when he decided to reside in Miami, working as lead guitarist of the legendary band Pangea, one of several multi-faceted collaborations with Dorian Reyes, iconic band leader of Miami-based Pangea. He also produced at "Red Rock Studio" in Miami, which Dorian Reyes and Gloria Estefan's pianist and composer Clay Ostwald owned until Covid forced its shutdown. Pangea is the long-standing standard of Miami’s live music industry ever since legendary band leader Dorian Reyes began the group years ago. Of course the members of the band have turned over a few times since its inception back in the day, but the result is the same: a party going on, as we will witness on July 4th.

Raymond was awarded a Cuba Disco, the highest recognition that is given to musicians in Cuba, where he collaborated with other Cuban artists like David Blanco, Los Aldeanos, Iván Lejardi, Maylu, and others. 

Thousands of fortunate Miamians saw Raymond play with Dorian Reyes at the Deering Estate on Valentine’s Day 2019 where their original project Vintash Band played on the expansive grounds. It was an amazing performance on a perfect February evening. We are very excited that Raymond will be playing with Pangea on July 4th and while St. Luke’s lawn isn’t quite so expansive it is plenty big enough to handle the several hundred neighbors we are expecting on the Fourth. This time the music will be largely favorites from Pangea’s galactic repertoire of Miami’s favorites.

Thanks to his voice register, Raymond can perform different styles from R&B, Salsa, Pop, to Jazz, giving a different color to each performance and loyal followings on Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, etc.

It’s been a tough year for musicians everywhere and Covid has put most in a tough place. But the light is shining at the end of the proverbial tunnel. This is Pangea’s first gig since the lock down and we are pleased to provide the venue to play for the neighborhood.
All are invited to this free event sponsored by St. Luke the Physician Episcopal (Anglican) Church and TheoEco.

​For more please go to Lukes4th.org.

We are very pleased that State Senator Annette Taddeo will be speaking at the 4th of July Celebration at St. Luke’s in Kendall. We are also very pleased to have the former Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Cuba Bishop Miguel Tamayo kick the day off with a benediction.

An original emphasis for the event was to celebrate this very special July 4th and also talk about gun violence in our midst. Especially since we are less than two miles from the Hookah Lounge shooting just a few weeks ago. A crime still unsolved. With that in mind we reached out to several community leaders and are very happy that Senator Taddeo will be able to talk with us and take questions. Obviously, we have more on our minds than community violence, not least of which is the tragedy unfolding in Surfside, lingering Covid concerns, etc.

​But most of all we are planning a festive day with bands, food trucks, and fun. We are expecting hundreds of neighbors throughout the afternoon and are honored to have both the bishop and senator join us. 

But right now Dorian’s focus is on getting his iconic band ready for a great July 4th performance at St. Luke’s in Kendall.

The last time I saw Dorian play was with Raymond Daniel Rodriguez at the Deering Estate on Valentine’s Day 2019 where their original project Vintash Band played for several thousand on the expansive grounds. It was an amazing performance on a perfect February evening. We are very excited that Raymond will be playing with Pangea on July 4th and while St. Luke’s lawn isn’t quite so expansive it is plenty big enough to handle the several hundred neighbors we are expecting on the Fourth. This time the music will be largely favorites from Pangea’s galactic repertoire of Miami’s favorites and will also include the electric Cuban American singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ, Dayana Falcon.

It’s been a tough year for musicians everywhere and Covid has put most in a tough place. But the light is shining at the end of the proverbial tunnel. This is Pangea’s first gig since the lock down and we are pleased to provide the venue to play for the neighborhood.

​All are invited to this free event sponsored by St. Luke the Physician Episcopal (Anglican) Church and TheoEco.

Our July 4th Celebration is taking place at St. Luke the Physician - a “hidden in plain view” garden parish, right in the middle of Kendall.

Just a mile or so west of Miami-Dade College’s Kendall campus on Killian Parkway, as you drive over the turnpike and look to the right, you’ll notice a big red cross over the trees, on top of a bell tower. As you get closer you’ll notice a big open green space – St. Luke’s lawn. A tree-lined green expanse just perfect for our July 4th Celebration, complete with bands, food, and fun!

Once on the grounds you notice there is so much more than just the lawn and the understated church building itself. The meditation garden and recently opened La Casita Thrift Store make this a very special place that thousands drive by every day, but rarely notice. It’s likely been this way since the early 1980’s when it opened – though the Banyan tree and Staghorn ferns were likely much smaller, and the priest lived in the thrift shop building.

St. Luke’s is an Episcopal (Anglican) church with many members rooted in the Caribbean and other spots around the world. It’s been a tough year as it has for churches everywhere. In-person services stopped at the beginning of the lockdown and have only resumed under meticulous conditions including temperature checks, mandatory hand sanitizing, socially distant seating, no choir, no wine, etc.

St. Luke’s is trying very hard to get ready for its future and this July 4th celebration is part of that; with the extra opportunity for fellowship – and fundraising - it offers. Because the best thing about St. Luke’s if you ask those that have been here since the beginning, is the fellowship. St. Luke’s is a very special place which represents our melting pot community in ways like few others. So the idea of St. Luke’s remaining in its pandemic induced status is distressful to the long serving members that make the place go.

This July 4th at St. Luke’s has come together very quickly as it became clear that CDC guidelines will permit it. It is really shaping up with food trucks and three bands offering music for all Miamian tastes.

We hope you can spend at least part of your July 4th afternoon with us. If you can’t make it we hope you’ll consider a donation anyway. We are also reaching out to the local business community for potential sponsors. Just go to Lukes4th.org where you can find more information, the flyer, sponsor materials, schedule of performances,  and updates. Just click on the “Donate or Sponsor” button.

​And, as always, please remember St. Luke’s in your prayers and good thoughts.

See you on the 4th!

Music, Food, and Fun! Bring a blanket and hang out ‘til sunset at this free event.

Our July 4th event is really shaping up with food trucks arranged, a stage booked, and three bands! We are also looking for sponsors who want to share in bringing this very special July 4th to our community. Of all the food options I’m thinking the Cold Stone Truck might be the most popular since what is July 4th without ice cream!? For more just check out the Lukes4th.org page for updates.

Of course, our ability to make this happen can really benefit from sponsors as this is also a fundraiser for St. Lukes, the TheEco Institute, and our local musicians. So, we’ve set up the following sponsorships which can be reserved from the website. Just go to Lukes4th.org and click on the “Donate or Sponsor” button.
​
Sponsorship Levels:

$2,500 – Founding Father Principal Sponsor (One available.)
Most prominent logo on all promotional pieces, website and mailings. Tented VIP area. Free food and drinks for 10. VIP parking. Large signage on stage. Speak at event. Our heartfelt Thanks! - Limited to one sponsor.

$1,500 Liberty Bell Music Sponsor (Availability limited to two.) Extra prominent logo on all promotional pieces, website and mailings. Tented VIP area. Free food and drinks for 6. VIP parking. Signage on stage. Recognition at event. Our heartfelt Thanks!

$1,000 Tea Party Stage Sponsor (Availability limited to two.)
Logo on all promotional pieces, website and mailings. Tented VIP area. VIP parking. Signage on stage. Recognition at event. Our heartfelt Thanks!

$500 Minuteman Security Sponsor (Availability limited to three.)
Logo on all promotional pieces, website and mailings. VIP parking. Recognition at event. Our heartfelt Thanks!

$250 Old North Church Promo, Assurance and Tidying Sponsor (Availability limited to five.)
Logo on website. VIP parking. Recognition at event. Our heartfelt Thanks!

$100 Patriot Sponsor (Availability unlimited.)
Logo on website. Our heartfelt Thanks!

To sponsor this event just go to Lukes4th.org and click on the Sponsor button.

Music, Food, Speakers, and Fun! And Fundraiser for the feature documentary film So Flo Guns.

We are planning a major celebration with our community on this very special Fourth. It will be one to remember and a bit of surprise that it is possible at all given the CDC guidance just weeks ago. But we have it organized, Miami’s top band Pangea and other artists are booked, and much more is in the works.

I am struck that another Miami mass shooting happened less than two miles from our office at St. Luke The Physician in Kendall. (Deadly mass shooting near Miami area college campus | Miami Herald) Three dead and five injured in our neighborhood. This is a poignant reminder that the issues our event and documentary addresses are all around us. None of us are immune to these risks in our midst. However, I believe we are not helpless to affect gun violence in our community. This event is a way to help.

So Flo Guns (SoFloGuns.com) is the new feature documentary from TheoEco about guns in South Florida past, present, and the future. From Ponce De Leon’s arrival on Key Biscayne in 1513, to pirates in the Keys, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, to Seminoles and Soldiers in the 1800s, to gangsters in the early 1900s, to the Cocaine Cowboys, to Parkland, we have a long and tangled relationship with guns, and their evolving lethalness.

TheoEco’s goal is to have hundreds of thousands of South Floridians, and millions more worldwide see the film by the end of 2023. Clearly, we need a lot of repeated screenings to all corners of South Florida - a role community organizations can uniquely provide for their neighbors in addition to the awesome local cinemas throughout our area. They have screens and venues that can be put to good use in off hours, while also offering fundraising opportunities and the chance to increase the flow of visitors and regulars alike.

But first we have to make it! Our co-hosts can get on board now and be a part of it from the very beginning. Which is what these fundraisers are all about. We have a budget of just over $200,000 and have spent a little more than $60,000 so far. We are reaching out to foundations for grants, wealthy donors for donations, crowdfunding campaigns, social media, etc.

​For more go to SFG Co-Hosts (theoeco.org)