Abandoned, But Not Forgotten: The Systemic And Archaeological Context Of Hildegarde.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Exploring the Maritime Archaeology of the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain Valley: Ongoing Research", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Lake Champlain is the repository of a considerable number of submerged cultural resources and shipwrecks representing over twelve thousand years of human occupation in the region. While archaeologists have collated a substantial amount of data on the vessels, the histories of many have yet to be fully understood. Hildegarde is a case study of a vessel with a complete historic background from its launch in 1876 to its abandonment in 1937. This paper will explore the systemic context of the vessel with a focus on its uselife through lateral cycling during its pre-depositional context. The post-depositional context will also be explored when the vessel was abandoned in the Pine Street Barge Canal Breakwater Ship Graveyard along the shore of Burlington, Vermont. Cultural and non-cultural site formation processes will be discussed along with potential correlations between ship abandonment and trends in maritime commerce, economics, population, and technological trends.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Exploring the Maritime Archaeology of the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain Valley: Ongoing Research

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow