The Wrecked! Exhibit tells the story of a group of ships that wrecked off the coast of St. Augustine in 1782. These vessels carried British Loyalist refugees fleeing Charleston, South Carolina, during the American Revolution. As the Continental (American) Army captured Charleston, Loyalists escaped to the nearby British colony of East Florida, whose capital was St. Augustine. The exhibit features artifacts recovered by the Lighthouse’s archaeologists from one of these shipwrecks, known as the Storm Wreck.
Over the past year, a team from the Museum’s Interpretation, Collections, and Conservation departments has worked to refresh the Wrecked! Exhibit by adding new artifact displays and updating interpretive panels. With support from the Americana Corner Grant Program, the team installed displays highlighting weaponry recovered from the wreck in the basement of the Keeper’s House. Among these artifacts is a rare carronade—one of only two known examples from this period. One is now on display in the Keeper’s House, while the other is housed in the Tower of London.
The latest updates are located on the first floor of the Keeper’s House, where new interpretive panels provide historical context for the Storm Wreck. Many visitors are unaware that Florida was a British colony during the American Revolution and played an important role in the conflict. These panels explain how the wreck helps tell the story of Florida’s place in the Revolution and why its strategic location made control of Florida a long-term goal of the newly formed United States.