Wetland peat deposits can be excellent archives of past changes in the depositional and ecological conditions under which they formed. Part of the story of these changes can be obtained from analysis of the palynomorphs preserved in these deposits; however, a more meaningful reconstruction can be achieved by combining organic petrography with palynology. An example of this approach is presented from a study of three sites in the northern Everglades of Florida. The primary purpose of this study was to test these combined methods for their utility in distinguishing between long-term, natural successions and recent, anthropogenically-derived disruptions of the ecosystem (such as diversions of drainage and introductions of contaminants from human sources). The combined palyno-petrographic method (supported by Cs-137 and Pb-210 dating) was able to establish with some certainty the first appearance of contaminant-driven plant types (such as cattails and duckweeds) into the region, with the organic petrography being more accurate in determining the actual presence of invading plants at a particular site and the palynologic analysis providing a broader picture of regional changes in the ecosystem (such as the direction of the plant invasion). The distribution of petrographic pyrite in these freshwater peats provided an additional new piece of evidence for contamination from the agricultural lands and also supported other evidence relative to the direction of contaminant infusion into the region. Additionally, the occurrence of significant quantities of pyrite at all three sites suggests that, in fact, none of these sites can be said to be totally unaffected by anthropogenic contamination. Longer hydroperiods were generally indicated by both methods for all sites before the early 1900s, confirming persistently wetter conditions in the Everglades prior to manmade changes in drainage. More specific paleohydrologic conditions could also be elucidated by this combined method, with all three sites displaying significant differences in hydrologic histories. Additionally, one of the sitesis hypothesized to have been, until recently, in the center of a surface-water flow pathway, as indicated by the continuous presence at this site of deeper water aquatics (such as water lilies) and the smaller number of zones containing algal-derived carbonates and/or other petrographic indicators of oxidation or bioturbation.