Photo Courtesy of Boca Raton Historical Society
Ancient America, another theme park established in Boca Raton, did not enjoy the same success as Africa U.S.A. Created by E.G. Barnhill, a photographer and aspiring businessman, Ancient America was built on and around an Indigenous archaeological site dating back 2,000 years.
Barnhill, who had a fascination with ancient Indigenous cultures, claimed the area was the former site of a Calusa village occupied by the Tequesta tribe. He turned the 24 acres into a theme park to help people learn about their history. The site contained a 20-foot-high burial mound, which Barnhill excavated with archaeologist Ripley P. Bullen. They uncovered
72 bodies, likely from the Tequesta tribe, dating between A.D. 700 to 1300.
In doing so, Barnhill desecrated the land by creating a tunnel through a burial mound, inserting glass windows to allow visitors to view the relics and remains underground. His attraction also included artifacts from the Spanish colonization of Florida, such as cannons and anchors recovered from sunken galleons. The park opened in 1953 and closed in 1958.
The burial ground became known as “Barnhill Mound,” and the Palm Beach County Commission once considered purchasing it. Instead, it was sold and developed in the 1980s as the Boca Marina Yacht Club. A portion of the original mound can still be seen as part of the landscaping at the facility’s entrance.