Artifacts

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 [...]

What’s In a Collection? A Brief History of Saw Setting

amy.gress2015-12-02T08:00:51-05:00December 2nd, 2015|

Figure 1 Nineteenth Century Saw-Wrest Being an historian, or in my case a collections manager, does not make you all knowing about history. There are times when you will look at an item in your collections and say “What could that possibly be?” This was the case a few weeks ago while working on a complete inventory of the museum’s collection. In one of our tool collections we came across a small, unlabeled, [...]

Update on the Sea Service Pistol

Update on the Sea Service Pistol

amy.gress2015-11-25T08:00:44-05:00November 25th, 2015|

Over the last month, I have been working on the flintlock pistol (previously discussed here). After separating the other artifacts, I removed some of the concretion from the pistol itself. I did not want to take too much off or get too close to the surface of any artifact materials. Instead, we took the pistol back to get additional x-rays and see if there were any hidden surprises. Taking new x-rays of the pistol. [...]

What’s in a Collection? U.S. Coast Guard Pin

amy.gress2015-11-04T08:00:59-05:00November 4th, 2015|

Each month, we will be showcasing a different piece from our Museum collection. Outside of the artifacts on exhibition at the Lighthouse, we have hundreds of other historic pieces that are preserved in our collection. This small pin is a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) collar/hat pin. The pin is a screw version as opposed to a clasp version made of brass. The design has the USCG emblem and is consistent with pins that were worn [...]

Hammering out another artifact

Hammering out another artifact

amy.gress2015-10-28T08:00:55-04:00October 28th, 2015|

As we do conservation of artifacts from the Storm Wreck, we try to identify and work on pieces that are either unique or may have some identification or information pertaining to the ship. Some of the items that have gone through or are currently undergoing conservation include a 4-pound cannon, a 9-pound carronade, dozens of cannonballs, numerous cast iron cauldrons, pewter plates, spoons and thousands of nails. These artifacts were all chosen because they had the [...]

18th Century Cannon Conservation – The Next Step

amy.gress2015-10-06T13:27:22-04:00October 6th, 2015|

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, we will begin the final phase of conservation for the two large cannons from the Storm wreck. Removing concretion Lighthouse archaeologists excavated the guns in June, 2011, and brought them to the lighthouse. In the first phase of conservation, as much of the exterior concretion as possible was removed using hammers, chisels and air-scribes. This was to ensure no other artifacts were stuck inside the concretion, and if [...]

New pistol concretion

New pistol concretion

amy.gress2015-09-30T08:00:59-04:00September 30th, 2015|

In the previous blog, X-rays of smaller artifacts from the 2015 Storm wreck field season were discussed. The smaller objects are taken to Monahan Chiropractic Medical Clinic to determine what is inside. The larger items, however, are brought to Flagler Hospital Imaging Center where they are able to accommodate the bigger and odder-shaped concretions. Nine such artifacts from several different field seasons and locations were recently taken to the Imaging Center to be X-rayed. While [...]

New Artifacts Revealed in X-Rays

amy.gress2015-08-26T08:00:30-04:00August 26th, 2015|

As the Summer 2015 surveys and excavation draws to a close, it is time for all the research, reporting and paperwork to begin. For conservation, that means documenting and X-raying the artifacts excavated during the fieldwork. This is done for a few reasons. First, we obviously want to know what was brought up. The concretions often do not resemble anything or give clues as to what the artifacts are. Second, we want to figure out what [...]

From the Wreckage: A Queen Anne Pistol

From the Wreckage: A Queen Anne Pistol

amy.gress2015-07-29T08:00:47-04:00July 29th, 2015|

New discoveries are made at the lighthouse every day in our maritime research conservation lab. As we continue to clean and prepare artifacts from a 1782 British Loyalist wreck found just off St. Augustine’s coast for an upcoming exhibit, we are learning more about the wreck and the people who were on board this vessel. In 2010, we recovered a concretion from the “Storm Wreck” that contained a pistol. From the initial X-ray we learned that [...]

Clues of All Sizes: New Buttons Add to Shipwreck Story

amy.gress2015-06-24T08:00:06-04:00June 24th, 2015|

Some of the most exciting finds from the Storm Wreck have been the smallest artifacts. Two military buttons were found while excavating and conserving objects. They helped provide some of the best diagnostic information about the ship and what it was doing. RP button The first button was found while removing concretion from the exterior of a larger artifact, the ship’s bell. The bell was excavated and began conservation treatment in 2011, and [...]

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