A Bugeye in the Bay: The Possible Remains of Bessie Lafayette

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Expansion of the of the United States’ Mid-Atlantic oyster industry led to the creation of new vessel types. Variations of oyster boats were developed to enable dredging in the deep waters of the Chesapeake Bay. During the Oyster Boom of the late 19th century, the bugeye type became a favored dredging vessel and over 600 of the boats served the Mid-Atlantic oyster fishery. By the early 20th century, the majority of bugeyes were abandoned as motorized craft became popular. The Bessie Lafayette was one of the few bugeyes that survived into the 1930s and was abandoned at Mallows Bay, Maryland. This paper discusses documentation of the remains of a wooden vessel likely belonging to Bessie Lafayette.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow