Outlaw Archaeology: How Crime Shaped South Florida's History

A lecture at Deering Estate explores how piracy, Prohibition and organized crime helped shape South Florida’s cultural landscape.

Outlaw Archaeology: How Crime Shaped South Florida’s History is presented by Malachi Fenn, M.A., Public Archaeology Coordinator for the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Southeast Region. Drawing on landscape archaeology and historical research, the talk examines South Florida as a long-standing refuge for outlaws, tracing stories of pirates and privateers, rum-runners during Prohibition and the rise of organized crime. The presentation considers how criminal activity left lasting marks on the region’s physical spaces, social structures and historical identity.

The lecture takes place Sunday, February 8 at the Deering Estate Visitor Center Theater. Check-in begins at 1:45 p.m. Tickets are $15 per participant.

Cultural arts programming at the Deering Estate is supported by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. Deering Estate is a nationally recognized historic site and heritage park offering year-round cultural, educational and ecological programming.