Experts reveal details of Seaport District shipwreck site
Boston archaeologists revealed on Friday what they’ve discovered this week while documenting a rare find — a 19th-century shipwreck unearthed by workers on a construction site in the Seaport District.
The construction company Skanska contacted the Public Archeology Laboratory and state officials after making the rare discovery at the construction site of its 17-story office tower building earlier this week . After that, five archaeologists, including Boston’s city archaeologist Joe Bagley, set to work gathering as much information as possible about the wreck by Friday so Skanska could resume its work.
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Due to the age and severe deterioration of the wood, removing the remains of the ship in one piece is “highly unlikely,” according to a statement from the company. But Skanska says it is committed to preserving as much of the deteriorated ship as it can. The company has hired an independent consultant, The Public Archaeology Laboratory, which will work with the city to continue researching the ship. The company plans to produce a report about its research this summer.
“We are so thankful to Skanska for voluntarily stopping construction to investigate this amazing find. We truly appreciate the opportunity to study the ship’s historical significance,” said Joe Bagley, the City of Boston archaeologist. “We almost never get this kind of opportunity.”
Experts revealed the following discoveries about the ship on Friday:
- The ship sank sometime between 1850 and 1880. The ship itself is likely older than the date it went down. It could have been built in the late 1700s or early 1800s.
- The uncovered ship was wooden and about 50 feet long. It had at least two masts.
- It held a large cargo of wooden barrels that contained lime, possibly from the Rockland area of Maine. The team found several dozen barrels of lime, suggesting the entire bottom of the ship was covered with lime barrels.
- The ship contained two knives, two forks, and a stack of burned plates in the rear of the ship.
- Most of the wood is charred, suggesting that the ship burned. When lime gets wet it reacts to produce heat, which can cause fires.
- The team was unable to determine if the discovered ship was deliberately scuttled in the low-lying mudflats when the fire started, or if it ran aground and then burned.
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