Archaeology

Wreck at Shipping Point

Wreck at Shipping Point

amy.gress2016-06-15T08:00:13-04:00June 15th, 2016|

Earlier this year, St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum Archaeologist and Maritime Historian Brendan Burke traveled to Virginia to assist in research on a Civil War shipwreck. The following is excerpted from his report on the wreck. Guns on the Potomac Washington D.C. was never far from action during the American Civil War. Almost immediately after war was declared in 1861, a struggle erupted between U.S. and Confederate forces to control strategic points throughout the [...]

George Fischer 1937-2016

amy.gress2016-06-01T10:39:05-04:00June 1st, 2016|

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of George Fischer on Sunday May 29th, 2016. George was my teacher and mentor, as he was for countless other archaeologists who took his classes at Florida State University between the 1970s and 1990s and into the early 2000s. George founded the underwater archaeology program in the U.S. National Park Service, which was first operated from the Southeast Archaeological Center in Tallahassee before the formation of the [...]

Wrecked! Uncover the Secrets Behind Artifact Conservation

Wrecked! Uncover the Secrets Behind Artifact Conservation

amy.gress2020-01-14T11:50:40-05:00April 20th, 2016|

How do you restore an artifact that's been on the ocean floor for over 200 years? From the moment we began excavating the 1782 British loyalist shipwreck off St. Augustine's coast in 2010, our team of archaeological conservators faced the monumental task of cleaning up all of the recovered artifacts. Over the six field seasons spent diving on this wreck, now the subject of our new Wrecked! exhibition, more than 600 artifacts were recovered. Each one requires [...]

Wrecked! Go Behind-the-Scenes with Lighthouse Archaeologists

amy.gress2016-04-13T08:00:20-04:00April 13th, 2016|

From now until our Wrecked! Exhibition Grand Opening on May 5th, we will be sharing weekly videos with insights on the new exhibit every Tuesday on Periscope, followed by a re-cap blog post and video every Wednesday. Follow along as we unveil this exciting new exhibit at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum! Do you know how archaeologists find shipwrecks? This and many other questions about the science behind underwater archaeology are answered in our new [...]

Introducing Star Waters!

Introducing Star Waters!

amy.gress2016-04-04T08:00:10-04:00April 4th, 2016|

Over the next month as we approach the grand opening of our new exhibition, Wrecked!, we will be featuring blog and social media posts from our newest Museum team member, Ms. Star Waters! Star has an integral role in the new exhibition which she will be sharing here and in her total takeover of our social media accounts on May 4th! Hey guys! Gotta love those #BeachSelfies! Wow, is this totally exciting or [...]

Lighthouse Volunteers Record Jacques Cousteau Anchor

Lighthouse Volunteers Record Jacques Cousteau Anchor

amy.gress2016-02-10T08:00:22-05:00February 10th, 2016|

On January 27, archaeologists with the Museum’s research arm, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), received an interesting call about a historic anchor that had recently been recovered from Ponce Inlet, about an hour south of St. Augustine. The Calypso docked at St. Augustine in 1985, after the completion of an extensive overhaul by St. Augustine Trawlers. (photo from the Daytona Beach Morning Journal, April 13, 1985) When LAMP received the call from [...]

SHA 2016 is a Success! – Storm Wreck Symposium Presented in the Nation’s Capital

SHA 2016 is a Success! – Storm Wreck Symposium Presented in the Nation’s Capital

amy.gress2016-01-13T08:00:09-05:00January 13th, 2016|

This letter, concerning the Storm Wreck vessel’s wrecking event, was written exactly 233 years before lighthouse archaeologists presented research on this wreck at the 49th annual SHA conference in Washington, D.C. On January 9, 1783, the commander of the British Royal Army in East Florida, Lieutenant Colonel Archibald McArthur, wrote a letter to the British Commander in Chief, Sir Guy Carleton, to inform him of the loss of the Rattlesnake, two victualing ships, [...]

Dr. Sam Turner Awarded Grant to Study Historic St. Augustine Artillery

Dr. Sam Turner Awarded Grant to Study Historic St. Augustine Artillery

amy.gress2016-01-11T08:00:25-05:00January 11th, 2016|

Last year, Dr. Sam Turner, Director of Heritage Boatworks and an Historian and Maritime Archaeologist at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, was invited to become a Research Associate of the Historic St. Augustine Research Institute (HSARI). The Institute is a collaborative project of Flagler College and the University of Florida, supported by the St. Augustine Foundation, Inc. The Institute funds research projects that focus primarily on scholarly research into St. Augustine’s historic heritage, [...]

Making of an Exhibit: Boxes & Beginnings

amy.gress2016-01-11T08:00:21-05:00January 11th, 2016|

What does it take to build a brand new museum exhibit? Over the next few months, we’re going to give you exclusive access behind the scenes as our team works together to create Wrecked! a new experience coming to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum in May 2016. Wrecked! A (brief) origin story Here’s the first thing you need to know about making an exhibit: It takes a long time. If you want to be technical [...]

Weighty artifacts

amy.gress2015-12-30T08:00:21-05:00December 30th, 2015|

New conservation projects have taken a short break as the archaeology staff prepares for the annual Society for Historical Archaeology conference in Washington D.C., January 5-10. The SHA conference is one of the largest meetings of the year and also one of the most pertinent to underwater archaeology. The research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), will be presenting findings on the Storm Wreck. Staff archaeologists, conservators [...]

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