The 2009 Northeast Florida Symposium on Maritime Archaeology will be held at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum in America's oldest port, St. Augustine, Florida, from March 25 to March 27, 2009.
Happy New Year's from the LAMP gang! Left to right, 19th century versions of Brendan Burke, Sam Turner, Chuck Meide, Christine Mavrick, and Robin Moore. Lest old acquaintances be forgot . . . have a great 2009!
The 2009 Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) Field School will be held June 8-26, 2009 at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum. This comprehensive 3-week field practicum will focus on the testing of an unidentified ballast pile to make a determination whether it represents the remains of the Confederate privateer Jefferson Davis, lost on the St. Augustine bar in August 1861 after the most successful cruise of the entire war. Alternate inshore sites will be investigated depending on conditions offshore.
Continue reading "6/8-6/26/2009: LAMP 2009 Summer Field School" »
The Alligator as she appeared in her final configuration.
This past Tuesday, December 9th, LAMP took a second look at a wreck in Crescent Lake. The lake, a tributary of the St. Johns river and about an hour and a half southwest of St. Augustine, and it’s eastern shore is reputed to be the resting place of the steamboat Alligator. Our work with this wreck began earlier this fall and began through an interesting series of events.
In September, I got a phone call from Dr. Roger Smith, Florida's state underwater archaeologist. He asked if we could go take a look at a recently reported wreck site, and put us in touch with retired meteorologist and avocational historian Dan Smith (no relation). Mr. Smith has conducted an immense amount of research related to a late 19th century steamboat called the Alligator, which indicates the sternwheeler was lost on the east side of Crescent Lake, south of us in Flagler County. A trip to the wreck site proved that it was a very interesting wreck, not only to us but to several news agencies.
Taking a picture of the seafloor is a complicated business. In some industries it is a multi-billion dollar business. Acoustic technology, however, has allowed us to do amazing things and very quickly the mysteries of the sea are becoming fewer and fewer. It does not come without a price nor investment in training. I recently attended a workshop and training conference in Seattle, Washington to hone my skills in collecting and processing sonar data.
Continue reading "Chesapeake Technology Sonar Seminar in Seattle" »
It’s Pocahontas Number Three coal, from the famous seam in Tazewell County, Virginia, and according to Brendan Burke it is great for blacksmithing.
After Burke moved the coal from the edges of the forge into the firepot, he labored at the blower churning air through the tuyere and into the fire. Green smoke rose from the coals as Burke fed the flames. “The smoke is just weakness leaving the fire,” said Burke. More precisely, impurities, like sulfur, burning off of the coal as it smolders create the green smoke and turn it into coke that is very different from the kind you would drink with your value meal. To a blacksmith, coke is the very high quality source of heat left once the “weakness,” or impurities, burn away.
Burke turns the blower to heat the steel
What: Blacksmithing demonstration with a traditional forge. Items to be made include boat fasteners (spikes, nails, etc.), chain, oyster knives, etc.
Where: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, by the LAMP Boatworks boatbuilding station
When: Thursday and Friday, November 13-14, 2008, 10 am - 4 pm
Who: Sam Turner, LAMP Director of Archaeology, and Brendan Burke, LAMP Archaeologist & Logistical Coordinator
For more information click here
Continue reading "11/13-14/2008 Blacksmithing Demonstration at the Lighthouse" »
An honor guard of four French jets fly overhead during the dedication of the only monument to the U.S. Navy servicemen participating in the D-Day invasion. LAMP and St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum Board member Captain Greg Streeter spearheaded the effort to establish this memorial at Utah Beach, Normandy, some 64 years after the heroic assault.
Every Veteran's Day, we at the Lighthouse are committed to fulfilling one of the most important aspects of our mission, to honor those who have served our country. As an aid to navigation and a sentinel facing the Atlantic, the Lighthouse has always had a military function, especially during times of war. During World War II, the Lighthouse served as a center of U.S. Coast Guard activity, and was manned by lookouts on guard for enemy U-boats. In recent months, another link between the Lighthouse and our WWII maritime heritage has been established, through the efforts of our Board member, retired U.S. Navy Captain Greg Streeter.
The Xynides Boat House. (Photo courtesy of Lowell Beyer)
Standing on top of a pile of broken timbers, exposed nails, torn electrical wiring, and a healthy dose of tetanus-in-the-wings can be a normal day for a maritime archaeologist. We recently had some of those days and I report on them here.
Lecture Title: Maritime History of St. Augustine
Presented by: Brendan Burke, LAMP Archaeologist and Logistical Coordinator
When: Saturday, November 8th, 2008, at 2:00 pm
Where: Anastasia Island Branch Library, in the Large Meeting Room (click here for map)
For further information call: 904-209-3730
Click here to download a flier promoting this event.
October 29th dawned bright and chilly. The day marked the beginning of the Galveztown Yawl Project at LAMP Boatworks. The Galveztown is a replica brig under construction in Malaga, Spain. LAMP Boatworks is a principal project partner supplying the Spanish shipyard, Astilleros Nereo, with Live Oak timber for the construction of the ship’s hull. LAMP is also assisting the project by building two yawls. These small ship’s boats will be 14 and 16 feet long and will travel nested on the deck of the Galveztown after the tall ship calls in St. Augustine in 2011.
All craft, be they ships or boats, require fairly special lumber. The process begins with the collecting of tree trunks of suitable timber and then milling them into the required dimensions and shapes.
Continue reading "Milling Begins for the Galveztown Yawls" »
In the story of the founding of Rome we hear much about Romulus, the progenitor of the ancient city, and little about his brother Remus. Last heard from when passed by a flock of birds doing the god's bidding in chosing the nascent city state's king, Remus went underground and was never heard from again. On October 22nd, I met Remus.
Lecture Title: Amphoras: Silent Observers of Ancient Maritime History
Speaker: Dr. David Switzer, Plymouth State University
Where: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Keeper's House Gallry
When: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 7:00 pm
RSVP: Please contact Sara Hansen by email or phone at 904-829-0745
Download flier promoting this event
Continue reading "10/29/08 Lecture: Amphoras: Silent Observers of Ancient Maritime History " »
The Fortuna II, a 65' long shrimp boat owned by the Versaggi family, came to grief on this stretch of Ponte Vedra Beach during a fierce north wind and "mountainous seas" in 1938. LAMP archaeologists recently discovered the remains of a shipwreck here, and our working hypothesis is that probably the wreckage is all that is left of this 38-ton shrimping vessel.
Many of you saw that LAMP was in the news two weeks ago for our most recent shipwreck discovery. At the time we thought the wreck could date to as early as the 1800s, though as is often the case more investigation was needed in order to gain some more clues and firm up the wreck's identity. In this case, further investigation did the trick, but in the library, not in the surf.
Help Preserve Florida's Working Waterfronts
While we here at LAMP and the Lighthouse do not often advocate political issues, sometimes there are items on the ballot that are particularly important for historic preservation or maritime heritage. We feel that the non-partisan Amendment 6 on the ballot this November is important towards saving traditional working waterfronts that have been such an important part of Florida's maritime heritage from its earliest history, and we urge everyone to vote YES on Amendment 6.
Continue reading "Help Preserve Florida's Working Waterfronts: Vote YES on Amendment 6" »
ACTION ALERT!!! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD--TREASURE HUNTING IS NOT GOOD FOR FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY OR THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA!!!
Tomorrow (Tuesday 21 October, 12 - 4 pm) there is a public meeting at the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve regarding proposed rule changes in the state's policy towards treasure hunting. We encourage everyone who cares about Florida history and archaeology to attend the meeting, and/or visit a public comment webpage the state has established in conjunction with their proposed new 1A-31 regulations for treasure hunting. These rules mandate an unprecedented new level of archaeological oversight for treasure salvage operations. While these rules are a step in the right direction, in our opinion they do not go far enough. We'd like to send the message to Tallahassee loud and clear that treasure hunting is detrimental to our state's great archaeological heritage and that it should be banned outright. We have received word that as many as 100 treasure salvors are planning to attend, so their voice will be strong, but hopefully some of us in the archaeological community will show up to share our opinion that commercial treasure salvage has been and will continue to be a bad policy for historical resources that belong to all of us.
Continue reading "ACTION ALERT!!! The Treasure Hunters are Coming!" »
UPDATED with new information, please see schedule below . . .
The second annual meeting of the Florida Maritime Heritage Association will be held in America's Oldest Port at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, sponsored by the Museum and its research institution, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), on October 17-18, 2008. Anyone associated with a Florida maritime museum, university anthropology/history department or maritime studies program, consulting company, preservation group, government agency, or any other maritime heritage organization is welcome to attend. This blog posting will serve as the official online source of information about the upcoming conference.
Continue reading "10/17-18/08 Florida Maritime Heritage Association Meeting" »
Boat builders- job well done!
LAMP Boatworks has just finished framing the Chaisson Tender, a small rowing gig that has been under construction for some months at the Lighthouse. It’s an important milestone in the building of this particular craft and one for LAMP Boatworks as well. Frames and half-frames, also known as ribs, are important structural members of any boat. In this case half-frames were used and were steam bent, a technological innovation that gives boat builders a leg up in savings of time and materials. Steam bending is an important skill to master and apply and so doing places LAMP Boatworks further down the road toward a first class boatworks.
On Monday night my wife Amy and I had to say goodbye to Noaa, the best friend and most faithful companion that anyone could ever ask for. Noaa had been a part of my life for almost fifteen years, and as an archaeologist's dog he often had to live temporarily at a friend's home while I was away in the field--always knowing I would return whether it was a week or a month--while many times he was able to accompany me, so that he was a waterdog familiar on board research vessels, at marine laboratories, in rivers, springs, and of course the sea. Our adventures took him places that no dog before him had been. Most notably, as the official mascot of the La Salle Shipwreck Project in Texas, he was the only dog in history to have walked on the seafloor fully seven miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
He will be sorely missed, not only by my family but by many archaeologists across the U.S. and abroad, and I wanted to take this chance to share a few memories and photos of this extraordinary friend.
LAMP recently confirmed the discovery of a shipwreck on the coast of Ponte Vedra Beach, north of St. Augustine. A local surfer, also a Fish and Wildlife Officer who we have gotten to know from our time spent on the water, came across an unknown object in the surf. After having talked to LAMP archaeologists about the importance of protecting shipwrecks in state waters, he thought this just might be a wreck--and after a recent visit we confirmed it!
When we visited the wreck again today, Jessica Clark of Jacksonville's Channel 12 First Coast News came out to do a great story. In this heavy surf, its a terrible challenge to locate and inspect the exposed sections of wreckage, as you can see in the video (check out the scene where Sam is totally wiped out by a wave!) All in all, a great day of scientific inquiry, and a great day on the beach!
A week or so ago, former LAMP archaeologist and current St. Johns County Archaeologist Robin Moore sent me a link to this very cool video. Its a wonderful overview of what we mean by underwater cultural heritage, and why it is important to save this heritage so it can be enjoyed and understood by future generations. It also has some really fantastic computer-generated scenes--such as the dramatic sinking of a large colonial-period sailing ship! This mini-documentary is sponsored by the United Nations' Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which among other responsibilities is charged with safeguarding underwater cultural heritage.
Its almost 12 minutes long, but definitely worth a look. Check it out! (click here or on the image above to link to the video page).
And now for something completely different . . . it seems that LAMP is beloved not only by those in St. Augustine and the First Coast, but by such notables as Steve Carell and Will Ferrell . . .
Funny!
Two of our past interns, Karson Winslow and Lindsay Jones, have become mariners of sorts since their departure from LAMP. Karson is on the S/V Soren Larsen out of Auckland, New Zealand and Lindsay on the M/V Ocean Phoenix out of Seattle, Washington. Read below to see where they work and where their work has taken them…
Lecture Title: The Caribbean World of Ponce de León and the Discovery of Florida
Speaker: Dr. Sam Turner, Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program
When: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 7:00 pm
Where: Flagler Room, Flagler College, 74 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida
Sponsored by: St. Augustine Historical Society
For more info call: 904-824-2872
I was pleased to see that the St. Augustine Archaeological Association, known locally as "S triple A," is now online with their own webpage, saaa.shutterfly.com. It looks like a great webpage right from the start, with a calender of events, links to photos, downloadable archaeology month poster, and past activities journal. Lots to keep supporters of St. Augustine archaeology interested!
The SAAA was formed in 1985 to promote interest in St. Augustine and St. Johns County archaeology, and to provide opportunities for individuals to work side by side with professionals in our area. SAAA has always been a great partner and supporter of LAMP (I couldn't help but notice that we were among their favorite links!) and its great to see this long overdue webpage!
To everybody who's keeping track of LAMP's research boat, the Island Fever, here is an update which encompasses the project history, current events, and our future plans. Read on!
August 23 has been designated by UNESCO as International Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The trans-Atlantic slave trade was one of the most massive violations of human rights in modern history. From the 16th through 19th centuries as many as 17 million Africans were stolen away from their homelands, families, dreams, and aspirations, to be transported in a deadly voyage across the ocean where they had few choices but to make a new life in the face of the horrific system of New World slavery and institutionalized racism. The hopes and dreams enslaved Africans kept alive came to fruition first with the legal abolition of the slave trade (by Britain and America in 1807) and finally with the abolition of slavery itself, at various dates by various nations (British colonies in 1833, French colonies in 1848, the United States in 1865, Cuba in 1886, and the last hold-out, Brazil, in 1888).
The ships that played a role in the Atlantic slave trade have increasingly piqued the interest of maritime archaeologists, though few have been located and identified. Two known slave ships have wrecked in St. Augustine waters. To date, neither has been discovered.
Continue reading "International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition" »
This past Friday LAMP deployed a new instrument to recover data from the 1764 shipwreck of the Industry.
The twisted steel wreckage of the sunken steam dredge Florida can be seen in this sonar image. The Florida was lost in 1918 off Crescent Beach, south of St. Augustine.
LAMP uses the research vessel Island Fever for diving operations to explore the maritime history of America's oldest port, and to bring college and high school students to offshore historic shipwrecks for a hands-on history lesson like none other. But for the past six months our favorite boat has been high and dry out of the water because of a broken engine and other significant repairs. You can help save our favorite boat and get our programs back on track!
The first frame of the replica of the Revolutionary War era brig Galveztown has been erected and was celebrated with pomp and circumstance at the ceremony held in May 2008 at the Astilleros Nereo shipyard in Malaga, Spain. In attendance were LAMP archaeologists Dr. Sam Turner and Brendan Burke, along with the St. Augustine Historical Society's Dr. Susan Parker.
Our partnership with the Spanish shipyard and maritime museum Astilleros Nereo in Malaga continues to gain interest in local and international media outlets.
Updated! Letter by Professor George R. Fischer describing the events of the public meeting is included below . . .
We were hoping there would be an overwhelming response to our recent call to action to let the state know that we are against legally sanctioned treasure hunting in Florida waters. The opportunity was a proposed change--the first in 30 years--in the rules currently governing this practice, and a call for public comments and public meeting in Tallahassee.
Well, this early it hard to judge numbers of comments but they are a matter of public record, and so eventually we'll have this data. We do know that our message got out there and spread fast.
Continue reading "UPDATED: State-wide reaction to our treasure hunting Action Alert" »
The June 2008 LAMP maritime archaeology field school, accredited by Plymouth State University, is currently underway in St. Augustine, Florida. Here students Ben Siegel and Ryan Flory are in the background with LAMP intern Renee Post. PSU Professor Dave Switzer is in the foreground.
Continue reading "LAMP/Plymouth State University Maritime Archaeology Field School is Underway!" »
ACTION ALERT!!! LET OUR STATE LAWMAKERS KNOW THAT TREASURE HUNTING IS NOT GOOD FOR FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY OR THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA!!!
Word is spreading about an opportunity that might lead to the end of state-sanctioned treasure hunting in Florida waters, but the time to act is now!. We encourage everyone who cares about Florida history and archaeology to visit a public comment webpage the state has established in conjunction with their proposed new 1A-31 regulations for treasure hunting. While these rules are a step in the right direction, they do not go far enough. We’d like to send the message to Tallahassee loud and clear that treasure hunting is detrimental to our state’s great archaeological heritage and that it should be banned outright.
Continue reading "ACTION ALERT!!! Help Stop Treasure Hunting in Florida Waters!" »
On a volunteer dive training trip to the Urca de Lima site recently, LAMP archaeologist Brendan Burke was busy operating our Klein 3900 sidescan sonar to 'see' the site. This is the first time that the Urca de Lima wreck site, a 1715 Spanish plate fleet ship, has been viewed using this technology and we have presented the findings from this survey here on the Lighthouse Blog!
Chuck Meide, Kathleen McCormick, Renee Post and Mallory Valalik removing sand from around the keel.
About two months ago Park Ranger Shelly Young contacted LAMP and informed us that a local shipwreck, that has been buried in the sand, became uncovered and the keel broke free and washed onto the beach. Chuck and I went to investigate the keel Thursday, May 15 to examine its current state and decide how to transport it back to LAMP for proper conservation. When we arrived at the rangers station, we were dismayed to hear from Ranger Mitch that a vandal had sawed the keel into two pieces while we waited for approval to recover it. Ranger Mitch drove us to the site where the keel washed ashore and we immediately began to examine it. Mitch told us there was a noticeable scarf in the keel, which is where two sections of the keel joined together.
Continue reading "Investigation, Recovery and Conservation of a Keel" »
Anastasia Park rangers and LAMP archaeologists carefully remove sand from around a shipwrecked keel timber before removing it from the beach for preservation in the laboratory. Photo courtesy of the St. Augustine Record
Last Thursday a great article appeared in the local paper, the St. Augustine Record.
The wooden keel of a 19th century merchant ship that wrecked on a St. Johns County beach nearly 200 years ago was recovered Wednesday, according to marine archaeologists.Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program, said the heavily weathered keel was first recorded on Anastasia State Park in 2004, but Florida Park Service personnel reported recently that a piece of the keel had been sawn off by an unknown person.
LAMP stepped in to ensure there was no further damage to the relic.
Continue reading "In the News: LAMP Keelhauling gets Good Press!" »
LAMP and FPAN with their volunteer divers after a day of successful dives among the Urca de Lima 1715 shipwreck.
On May 19th and 20th LAMP joined the Florida Public Archaeology Network for a volunteer dive training off the coast of Ft. Pierce, Florida. The volunteers gained first-hand experience of the scientific diving and mapping procedures along side underwater archaeologists.
Renee Post diving in water significantly clearer than in St. Augustine.
Well folks here we are again, we have two new interns, Renee Post and Mallory Valalik. Renee recently graduated from University of West Florida with a BA in Maritime Studies. Mallory is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in anthropology with a focus in bioarchaeology. Renee will be with us for a duration of three months and Mallory will be with us for a month, then to Poland to work on a medieval mortuary site, then she will be back for another month.
Maj. Gen. Gerry Maloney's yacht, Total Blarney.
Maj.Gen. Gerry Maloney, president of the board of directors for the SALH, was kind enough to take us on his 37’ Carver s to survey the Gulf America with our new side scan sonar. Our team of three, Chuck Meide, Brendan Burke and myself, Renee Post, left the lighthouse about 9:00 A.M. We arrived at Gerry’s boat shortly before 10:30, in Jacksonville, and loaded our equipment onto his luxurious vessel. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the research craft for the day was much more comfortable than we could have expected. The Total Blarney’s cabin had more than enough room for us to work and the air conditioned environment helped protect our equipment from the salt spray. In the cabin, a nice bench-like sofa made a great work station for our sonar laptop. After we loaded the boat we secured the GPS antenna for the sonar computer to the Total Blarney’s stern, while we headed to the lock.
