James Gordon Bennett’s Polynia: A View from the Documentary Record

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2019, as part of the Wolf Trap Alternate Placement Site Northern Extension (WTAPSNE) Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District (USACE) contracted Stell Environmental and SEARCH, Inc. to conduct an underwater investigation testing for the presence of resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Utilizing side scan sonar and magnetometry, SEARCH, Inc. documented 10 anomalies that resulted in avoidance measures and an agreement document among USACE, the Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, the Naval History & Heritage Command, and the Mariners’ Museum and Park. Of the encountered anomalies, one was inferred to be the Polynia, a steam yacht later turned into a fishing trawler and coal barge named Tillie. Ongoing archival research into the Polynia and comparisons with other steam yachts attempt to further inform about her design and place her within a historic context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• 2024 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow