In a surprising archaeological find, workers at the Manhattan World Trade Center site came across the remnants of an old ship buried deep underground 15 years ago. This remarkable discovery consisted of timbers from a 50-foot vessel that dates back to the Revolutionary War era. The ship’s pieces are now undergoing meticulous restoration at the New York State Museum in Albany, where they are being prepared for exhibition to the public.
Museum staff, including research assistants and volunteers, have been dedicated to cleaning these timber pieces with care, using tools like picks and brushes to ensure they are ready for reconstruction. This laborious project is bringing to life a vessel believed to have played a pivotal role during 1775, particularly in defending the city of Philadelphia. Yet, the full narrative of its journey remains an intriguing mystery, including why it eventually found itself abandoned by Manhattan’s shore and buried by landfill in the 1790s.
This ambitious restoration project is the culmination of years of preservation efforts, which began after the boat was discovered 22 feet beneath the surface in July 2010. The vessel’s timbers were found near where the Twin Towers stood prior to the 9/11 attacks, preserved in the dense, oxygen-deficient soil. The team extracted pieces from a section of the boat’s hull and shipped them over a thousand miles to Texas A&M University for conservation. There, the wood pieces underwent scanning, preservation treatments, and freeze-drying to prepare them for their new life as museum exhibits.
Though the New York State Museum is located miles away from Manhattan, it offers ample space for the reconstructed ship. Visitors are welcome to watch the ongoing assembly, witnessing each step as the timbers form the boat’s skeletal structure once more. Museum officials anticipate finishing the reconstruction process by the month’s end.
As Lucas, the museum’s curator of historical archaeology, engaged with guests at the museum, he wondered aloud about the odds of such a find being destined for a museum exhibit. For historians and visitors alike, the ship presents a chance to ponder its past and the unknowns that still surround it.
Further analysis of the wooden timbers suggests they originated from trees cut in the 1770s in the Philadelphia area, aligning with the hypothesis that the vessel was rapidly constructed there. Historical evidence indicates several gunboats were built in 1775 to defend the city, designed with cannons and hastily crafted with iron spikes holding the wood together. Though efficient, these materials were vulnerable to corrosion in the sea.
The vessel’s past is still unraveling, with evidence suggesting British use of the ship, supported by discoveries like a soldier’s button linked to a British regiment. Some also speculate that the boat ventured to the Caribbean, based on the tell-tale damage from shipworms that thrive in warm waters. Despite these clues, many of the vessel’s specifics, such as how it ended up where it was found and what led to it becoming engulfed by landfill, remain unanswered.
“This is an artifact you can weave numerous stories around,” said Lucas, acknowledging both its historical importance and the allure of the marine enigma before them. With each timber reassembled, the ship slowly unravels its centuries-old tale, offering novel insights and stories waiting to be told.