Coastal Boneyards: Derelict Vessels Becoming History Through Havoc

Summary

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

After their invention during the twentieth century, fiberglass boats grew in popularity due to their quick and long-lasting construction method. Through time these vessels have littered coastlines after natural disasters, leaving them derelict for years resulting in boneyards. While boneyards impede the environment and boat traffic, they also represent past community activity. The significance of these forgotten boats demonstrates itself through local heritage, policy regulation, and transformation of the archaeological landscape. Derelict boneyards impact many locations, including the Florida Panhandle, as it regularly suffers from hurricanes and tropical storms. This research focuses on data collection and site comparison of abandoned modern watercraft past their prime and soon to be part of the historical record.

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