Back in July 2010, during construction of the new World Trade Center in Manhattan, the remains of a ship were found 22 feet below street level. Now, researchers believe they know the origins of the vessel.
…a new report finds that tree rings in those waterlogged ribs show the vessel was likely built in 1773, or soon after, in a small shipyard near Philadelphia. What’s more, the ship was perhaps made from the same kind of white oak trees used to build parts of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed, according to the study published this month in the journal Tree-Ring Research.
Archaeologists had been on-site throughout the excavation of the World Trade Center’s Vehicular Security Center. They had found animal bones, ceramic dishes, bottles and dozens of shoes, but the excitement really kicked up when the 32-foot-long (9.75 m) partial hull of the ship emerged from the dirt.
Story: Megan Gannon, LiveScience | Photo: Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, via Columbia University
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