AW SHUCKS: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF A POSSIBLE OYSTER FISHING VESSEL IN WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Patrick Boyle (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Oysters were a significant food source for Native Americans and settlers of North Carolina. In the mid-19th century, local markets for oysters developed around coastal cities such as Wilmington, New Bern, and Washington. The absence of a fast and reliable means of transporting the harvest to inland cities, however, precluded a larger industry from being established. Yet, in the late 1880s the North Carolina oyster fishery experienced a sharp rise in activity. Diminishing oyster populations and stricter fishing laws in the Chesapeake Bay region led its oyster fishers to search for new areas to harvest. Distinct vessel types from the Chesapeake Bay area soon flooded the estuaries of North Carolina. Many of those vessel types, including sharpies, bugeyes, and skipjacks, were designed for oystering activities. Recent archaeological investigations of a sunken sailing vessel embedded on the southern side of the Pamlico River near Washington, North Carolina suggest an association with oyster fishing. Known locally as the Centerboard Wreck, the remains of the vessel exhibit construction features and an artifact assemblage that are consistent with the oyster industry. This thesis aims to investigate the historical background of oystering in North Carolina and particularly the development of the Pamlico trade, attempt to determine a vessel type for the Centerboard Wreck, and to understand its possible employment in the fishery and ultimate deposition within the vicinity of Washington, North Carolina.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

shipwreck;oyster;bugeye;schooner

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