Decades before white settlers firmly established themselves in the area now called east Bradenton, escaped slaves and Seminole Indians created a refuge beside a mineral spring there. They called their settlement Angola.
The community thrived for several years — until raiders looted and burned it to the ground.
This weekend, the public can get a glimpse as to what early 19th century life in Angola is believed to have been like……On Saturday afternoon, the Looking for Angola team will conduct a free presentation about their findings at the Central Library in Bradenton. Speakers will include Oldham; Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, a former archaeology professor who is now chief technology officer at Digital Heritage Interactive; and Uzi Baram, a New College of Florida anthropologist who has examined artifacts from an excavation site at Manatee Mineral Spring Park in East Bradenton.