Fort Jefferson was used as a prison for criminals during and after the Civil War
The remains of a 19th century hospital and cemetery have been discovered by researchers at the bottom of the ocean off Florida, USA.
The impressive discovery was made on a submerged island near Dry Tortugas National Park.
This is the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery, the coastal fort of Fort Jefferson, which was used as a prison for criminals during and after the Civil War and over the centuries has been sunk.
Check out this cool find! National Park archaeologists found the remains of a hospital and cemetery underwater at Dry Tortugas National Park.
NPS Photos C. Sproul
Images courtesy of National Park Service pic.twitter.com/GjVxpmfv6V
— Dry Tortugas National Park (@DryTortugasNPS) May 1, 2023
Fort Jefferson from 1888-1900 served as a hospital for the Naval Hospital Service. According to archaeologists, the hospital was used to treat yellow fever patients between 1890 and 1900.
Although only one grave has currently been identified, historical records indicate that dozens of people, mostly American soldiers who served at Fort Jefferson, may have been buried there.
According to the investigation, dozens of people were buried in the Fort Jefferson cemetery, and while most of them were military or prisoners, several were civilians.
One of these citizens, John Greer, was employed as a laborer at the fort and died there on November 5, 1861.
Fort Jefferson was primarily home to military personnel, prisoners, slaves, engineers, support staff, and laborers with their families.
Deadly infectious diseases, especially mosquito-borne yellow fever, killed scores of people during the 1860s and 1870s.
Photo source: nps.gov
Source :Skai
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