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Given the well-preserved nature of this early Florida shipwreck, the story that is emerging through investigation of its remains, and the close proximity and historical affiliation of the site to the City of Pensacola, the following recommendations are offered:
The shipwreck site should be monitored by state and local authorities to prevent unauthorized disturbances. Local citizens should be encouraged to report unusual activities at the location of the shipwreck. In addition,
the site should be included in the National Register of Historic Places. A formal nomination already has been prepared for submission to the state advisory board in November, 1995.
the site should be nominated as a National Historic Landmark.
The Governor and the Cabinet of the State of Florida should designate the Emanuel Point Ship and its immediate environs, as well as other 16th-century shipwrecks to be found in Pensacola Bay as state archaeological preserves to be actively managed for scientific archaeological research and for public use and access.
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Continued archaeological investigations should be conducted at the Emanuel Point Ship, in conjunction with additional survey of this region of the Pensacola Bay. These activities can best be accomplished if:
there is a continuation of a commitment of partnership between the public and private sectors that is further developed with concrete, longrange goals.
sufficient funding is sought by each of the partners from grants, governmental appropriations, corporate sponsorships, and private donations.
a small full-time staff of archaeologists, conservators, and technicians is employed by the partnership to supervise graduate student interns and volunteers.
Continued archival research should be conducted to collect documents pertaining to the 1559 expedition of Tristán de Luna. To date, a program for the collection of documents from Spain, Mexico, and the United States has been inaugurated through the sponsorship of the Pensacola City Commission, in conjunction with the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board. Archival researcher Denise Lakey has begun to assemble copies of archival materials from several repositories. Aside from initial collection of documents,
a Luna Study Group, made up of professional and amateur scholars should be organized to address research needs as they pertain to archival documentation as well as archaeological research.
transcriptions and translations of selected documents should be published for the benefit of future researchers and made available in a format suitable for the general public.
Continued conservation and analysis of artifacts from the Emanuel Point Ship and others in Pensacola Bay should be undertaken by the Division of Historical Resources in cooperation with academic and private sector partners. To fulfill this goal,
the conservation facility and staff should be expanded to include additional equipment, work space, and storage containers.
the laboratory should provide access for public visitation at appropriate occasions.
funding for specialized analysis, such as dendrochronology, spectromicroscopy, etc. by other institutions should be arranged.
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Results of the activities recommended above should be incorporated into a major permanent exhibit that will offer a reconstruction of the Emanuel Point Ship and its role in the early history of the United States as an historical attraction for Pensacola. Plans for a preliminary exhibit featuring materials recovered to date already are being formalized by the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board. In addition,
an illustrated, interpretive booklet should be prepared to accompany the exhibit.
workshops and educational programming should accompany the exhibit.