When the sea level dropped during the following glacial period, the bar was exposed to air and weather. Rain water percolating down through the layer of sediment, dissolved calcium carbonate from the shell material, forming a matrix or cement, binding the loose sediment into coquina rock. Once raised from the ocean, the bar stood above sea level for many thousands of years. It was not until about 5,000 years ago that the rising sea would have started wearing away the rock to produce the beautiful formation we see today. Long before Europeans reached Florida, Native Americans came here to hunt, fish and gather shellfish.
Archaeological studies are currently underway to learn more about the Indian lifeways here.
During the 1500's and 1600's several French, Spanish, and English groups passed through the area. The first documented settlement by Europeans came in 1770 when the British government granted the land to John Moultrie, Lieutenant Governor of East Florida. Moultrie mined the heaps of oyster shells to produce lime in his lime kiln and established an orange grove. In 1793 a fire, probably natural, swept over the tract. Shortly after, it was acquired by a Portuguese born merchant who may have constructed some buildings and planted crops.