The National Park Service officially recognized 1016 Waverly Road
in Fort Lauderdale on the National Register of Historic Places.
This site is located along the New River, the site contains intact prehistoric artifacts and features associated with the indigenous Tequesta culture. The
Tequesta were indigenous Native Americans who predated the
Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. Because of this, the site represents the most intact and deepest surviving black earth midden along the New River, with at least 2000 years of prehistoric occupation. It
is likely the best-preserved prehistoric site in eastern Broward County.
In 2006, a Seminole blue glass trade bead was discovered during a due diligence study. Historians
believe this indicates that Seminoles used the site during their trips on the New River.
In 2014, the property’s most notable residence, Rivermont House, still stood on the property. Archaeologists closely monitored the house’s demolition in 2016. Historic features associated with the
house still exist, including the masonry wall and gate posts and paved tracks of a road.
In 2021, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted to designate Rivermont as an Archaeological Site
due to its value as a significant reminder of the cultural or archeological heritage of the city, state, or nation. At that time, the City Commission also requested that a nomination be submitted to the State
Historic Preservation Office for the site to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historians
believe the study of Rivermont’s Tequesta material can allow for the reconstruction of prehistoric diet, technology, settlement patterns, and environmental information on prehistoric ecology and climate.
