Notary's Journal May Help Solve a Mystery
An 18th century notary journal may help solve a shipwreck mystery in York, Maine.
The skeletal remains of the shipwreck first appeared in 1958 on Short Sands Beach after a storm. Although usually buried under five to six feet of sand, storms continue to expose it periodically.
Barry Higgins, a former York police chief, became curious about the shipwreck in the 1980s. His research took him to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. There he found the journal of Daniel Moulton of York, Maine, who served as a notary public from 1749 to 1792. In the journal, Moulton listed a number of shipwrecks that occurred in York during that time.
Higgins explained that when a shipwreck occurred, the owner of the ship had to file an "instrument of protection," which stated the town where it was wrecked and what happened.
Inside Moulton's notary journal was an instrument of protection for a pinky named Industry. A pinky was a type of sailing vessel with a pointed or pinched stern that was commonly used to transport items along the Maine coast in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Industry was carrying lumber and ran aground in October or November 1769 at Short Sands Beach during a nor'easter, said Higgins in various newspaper accounts about the shipwreck. According to the instrument of protection, the captain lost control and the ship was pushed onto the beach. The two people on board - the captain, who was also the owner, and his son - survived.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission (MHPO) hired a marine archaeologist to take samples of the wooden planks and map the hull. The archaeologist determined it was a 60-foot vessel constructed sometime between 1750 and 1850. Currently, 51 feet of the ship are preserved in the sands of Short Sands Beach. The wood samples will be sent to a laboratory to compare them to samples of woods in their database. This may help in dating the ship.
Is it the Industry, as Higgins believes? Officially, it is referred to as 497-004; 497 for the town of York, and 004 representing the fourth recognized historic site in the town.
The instrument of protection found in the notary journal and the information gleaned from the wood samples may determine whether the shipwreck is eligible for listing on the Natiional Register of Historic Places.
Until then, the mystery of the shipwreck continues.
The skeletal remains of the shipwreck first appeared in 1958 on Short Sands Beach after a storm. Although usually buried under five to six feet of sand, storms continue to expose it periodically.
Barry Higgins, a former York police chief, became curious about the shipwreck in the 1980s. His research took him to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. There he found the journal of Daniel Moulton of York, Maine, who served as a notary public from 1749 to 1792. In the journal, Moulton listed a number of shipwrecks that occurred in York during that time.
Higgins explained that when a shipwreck occurred, the owner of the ship had to file an "instrument of protection," which stated the town where it was wrecked and what happened.
Inside Moulton's notary journal was an instrument of protection for a pinky named Industry. A pinky was a type of sailing vessel with a pointed or pinched stern that was commonly used to transport items along the Maine coast in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Industry was carrying lumber and ran aground in October or November 1769 at Short Sands Beach during a nor'easter, said Higgins in various newspaper accounts about the shipwreck. According to the instrument of protection, the captain lost control and the ship was pushed onto the beach. The two people on board - the captain, who was also the owner, and his son - survived.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission (MHPO) hired a marine archaeologist to take samples of the wooden planks and map the hull. The archaeologist determined it was a 60-foot vessel constructed sometime between 1750 and 1850. Currently, 51 feet of the ship are preserved in the sands of Short Sands Beach. The wood samples will be sent to a laboratory to compare them to samples of woods in their database. This may help in dating the ship.
Is it the Industry, as Higgins believes? Officially, it is referred to as 497-004; 497 for the town of York, and 004 representing the fourth recognized historic site in the town.
The instrument of protection found in the notary journal and the information gleaned from the wood samples may determine whether the shipwreck is eligible for listing on the Natiional Register of Historic Places.
Until then, the mystery of the shipwreck continues.
