The Windover Archeological Site is recognized as a very important discovery. Well-preserved human remains and artifacts dating back nearly 9,000 years were found and carefully recovered in what is now a Titusville sub-division.

"If you stand on the Windover Bog, you can watch the shuttle take off," said Carole Pope of the Preservation and Education Trust, nonprofit agency that owns the property.

The eight-acre site was donated to the trust by Jim and Jonnie Swann to be preserved as an archeological and natural treasure. Jim Swann was the developer of the Windover Arms subdivision in 1982 when a backhoe operator found human bones in an area of black peat at the bottom of a pond.

It did not take long for everyone to realize that the remains were very old and very well-preserved.

Radiocarbon dating in the next three years -- during which the site was excavated by a team including Florida State University Archeologist Glenn Doran -- showed an age range of 6,990 years to 8,120 years, plus or minus 70 years.

Recently, I was invited to tag along while Pope and Steve Benn of the Brevard County Historical Commission gave a private tour of the site to Winter Springs Boy Scout Patrick Kirchner, 15, who is working on a Merit Badge. He was accompanied by his mother, Bernadette Kirchner.

The three of us were surprised at how natural and pristine the site appears now. If you didn't know where you were, you would never suspect that you were standing on sacred and historically significant ground. You would marvel, however, at the canopies of ancient oaks and the quiet beauty of natural Florida.

Pope gives much of the credit for this to Jim Swann. According to a flier prepared by the trust, Swann stopped construction at the site, rerouted a road, provided financing for archeological research and preserved the site and four adjoining lots while the surrounding lands were developed. After the excavations were stopped in 1987, the peat was pushed back to the pond, restoring the pond and protecting the remaining graves.

"The property will be maintained for future generations as a quiet nature preserve with respect for the ancient people who chose this location as the final resting place for their family," the trust flier said.

At a future date, Pope hopes the Windover site will come to include educational panels, a parking area and a nature trail that winds up at Bird Lake Marsh. At present, she and Benn are working together to install the National Historic Landmark sign the property earned in 1987.

Although the area has not been formally opened to the public, private tours can be arranged through the Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science, 2201 Michigan Ave., Cocoa. The museum has an outstanding Windover Dig exhibit, which shows how much the excavation has meant to modern understanding of ancient cultures. The addition of tours to the site is brand new, Pope said.

For more information on the exhibit or tours, call the museum at 632-1830. To learn more about the Windover Dig, visit http://petrust.org/windover and www.nbbd.com/godo/history/windover.