Artifacts

Mission Accomplished: Preserving a Revolutionary War Shipwreck (VIDEO!)

Mission Accomplished: Preserving a Revolutionary War Shipwreck (VIDEO!)

Jay Smith2020-04-16T10:16:53-04:00April 16th, 2020|

#LoveYourLighthouse Your St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is closed to protect you and your lighthouse family from COVID-19. Your Gift of Love for our Maritime Heritage Makes A Difference. Donate today, or take advantage of deep discount opportunities by visiting www.staugustinelighthouse.org. Stay Safe and #LoveYourLighthouse https://youtu.be/XKPP-EgZVK0 Thank you for joining the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum for Mission Accomplished: Preserving a Revolutionary War Shipwreck. This is the second of a four-part series showcasing the Museum [...]

Summer 2018: One Month, Two Wrecks, and so much Discovery!

amy.gress2018-10-22T12:56:34-04:00October 22nd, 2018|

Large concretion being hoisted overboard to be returned to Storm Wreck. After two long months in the field, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program finished their field season at the end of August. And it led to many new discoveries! Following a month of field school, with five students and four supervisors from around the country, that worked on both an offshore wreck and a river wreck, we jumped between two sites returning and [...]

A Quick Retelling of the Cuban Archaeologists’ Visit

A Quick Retelling of the Cuban Archaeologists’ Visit

amy.gress2017-10-11T14:56:30-04:00October 11th, 2017|

From second left to right: Roger Arrazcaeta Delgado; Marcos Antonio Acosta Mauri; and Yoser Martínez Hernández of the Gabinete de Arqueología of Havana, Cuba at their rowing stations in the chalupa, “San Agustín”. By Dr. Sam Turner Between August 25th and September 14th the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum hosted an archaeological cultural exchange which consisted of a visit by three Cuban archaeologists, Roger Arrazcaeta Delgado, Yoser Martínez Hernández, and Marcos Antonio [...]

Sifting through the muck

Sifting through the muck

amy.gress2016-09-28T08:00:17-04:00September 28th, 2016|

Every year, our research arm, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), heads out on the water to either survey for new wrecks, target test potential anomalies from said surveys or locate and excavate archaeological sites underwater. How exactly does LAMP work underwater and get the artifacts for the conservation team? Unlike a “traditional” land site, we cannot simply dig up the dirt and move it to the side with shovels and wheelbarrows. We instead do [...]

What’s In a Collection? Fact or Fiction Night

What’s In a Collection? Fact or Fiction Night

amy.gress2016-08-03T08:00:42-04:00August 3rd, 2016|

Each month we have a special event for our members. Last month was Fact or Fiction, where we provided two stories for each object brought from the collections storage. It was up to the members to decide which story was the correct one. Many of these objects might not see the inside of an exhibit space and to have the opportunity to highlight them is fun for us. We thought that since not everyone could [...]

What’s in a Collection? Sailmaker’s Palm

What’s in a Collection? Sailmaker’s Palm

amy.gress2016-07-06T08:00:13-04:00July 6th, 2016|

Our artifact highlight this month is an interesting example of some of our maritime heritage collection. This object is referred to by several names such as a sailmaker’s palm, sewing palm or sailors palm thimble. The multiple names are probably a reflection of the diverse audience that would actually use one. Sailmaker’s palm is associated with the art of sail making. This tool was important for sewing through tough material like leather and multiple layers [...]

Saying Goodbye to the Rudder

amy.gress2016-06-29T02:00:58-04:00June 29th, 2016|

Ordinarily, in the conservation blog posts, new artifacts are discussed. Ones being worked on or items that have been finished and are ready to join the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum collection. However, this month’s post is about an artifact that is leaving our grounds and heading back from whence it came. In October 2005, a large northeaster hit the First Coast area. Because of the wind and storm surges, large shipwreck timbers were [...]

Continuing Conservation: The Beat Goes On!

Continuing Conservation: The Beat Goes On!

amy.gress2016-05-25T08:00:38-04:00May 25th, 2016|

In the previous blogs, I have discussed the varied and lengthy conservation techniques of Storm Wreck pieces. Typically, these methods start from the moment a site is discovered and an artifact is disturbed. Once the immediate environment and surroundings have changed, an artifact will start going through new corrosion changes. Students and/or LAMP divers have to treat objects very carefully underwater while they are dredging and carrying them up to the surface. Once on the [...]

What’s in a Collection? Tobacco Card

amy.gress2016-03-09T08:00:19-05:00March 9th, 2016|

As a youth and avid collector of sports cards when you heard the words tobacco cards it was pretty exciting. As a kid they were considered old and rarely seen as a lad in the Midwest. These trading cards were from the turn of the century and featured some of the most famous sport figures at the time like Cy Young, Ty Cobb, and Jack Johnson. However, tobacco cards or trading cards were not just [...]

An Unexpected Find!

An Unexpected Find!

amy.gress2016-02-24T08:00:05-05:00February 24th, 2016|

Recently, one of our dedicated volunteers, Ed Coward, discovered something pretty fascinating. Ed comes in every Thursday to help out with artifact conservation, and he typically spends the day airscribing. This is one of our dirtiest jobs, but somehow Ed manages to stay pretty clean throughout the process as you can see in the photo. Airscribing is the process of removing concretion (build up of sand, shells, and sediment) from artifacts that have been recovered [...]

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