Possible Vicinity of Juan Ponce de Leon's Landing

Possible Vicinity of Juan Ponce de Leon's Landing (HM1BEJ)

Location: Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 Brevard County
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Country: United States of America
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N 28° 0.617', W 80° 31.811'

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Inscription
While there is disagreement among scholars, it is believed that this site may be in an area where Juan Ponce de Leon made landfall in April 1513. It has long been thought that this event took place near St. Augustine, based upon studies of de Leon's compass headings that did not account for the inability of 16th century navigators to accurately determine longitude, magnetic compass deviations, or the effects of the Gulf Stream and prevailing winds. Professional navigator Douglas Peck re-traced Juan Ponce de Leon's route in a sailboat, however, and found a more likely landing site. Peck, who sailed the same waters for 30 years, has an "intimate geographical knowledge of the route" Juan Ponce de Leon took. When he re-sailed the route at the same time of year as the 1513 voyage, he reached Florida's eastern shore at 28 degrees North Latitude and 80 degrees 29 minutes West Longitude, just south of Melbourne Beach. He can place the accuracy to within 5 to 8 Nautical Miles on either side of this navigational fix. Many historian now conclude that an area south of Melbourne Beach, such as this site, was a more probable location for Juan Ponce de Leon's first landing. This park Juan Ponce de Leon Landing, was created in 2005. A Florida Historic Landmark.
Details
HM NumberHM1BEJ
Tags
Marker NumberF-565
Year Placed2005
Placed ByThe Brevard County Historical Commission Brevard Country Parks & Recreation and the Florida Department of State
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 15th, 2014 at 6:10am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 546189 N 3098430
Decimal Degrees28.01028333, -80.53018333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 28° 0.617', W 80° 31.811'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds28° 0' 37.02" N, 80° 31' 48.66" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)321
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 4077-4205 S Hwy A1A, Melbourne Beach FL 32951, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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