The Continuing Saga of the Steamboat Phoenix: Newest Discoveries on the Oldest American Steamer

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.

The remains of Phoenix, one of the earliest steamers to combine characteristics of sailing craft with steam propulsion, rest on a shoal in Lake Champlain. Phoenix sank in 1819 after serving five seasons as a passenger steamer, and is the oldest steamboat wreck archaeologically studied. Although the 135-ft. hull was re-discovered and studied in the 1980s and again in 2010s, the boat’s missing paddlewheels were found ¾ of a mile from the wreck in deep water only in 2020. These were examined by project partners in 2022, revealing well-preserved paddles and charred hull remains still attached to the assemblies. This field season, the project team collected high resolution photogrammetry data over a 30-ft section of Phoenix’s engine room to more precisely compare structural details with the newly found paddlewheel assemblies to better understand the configuration of the propulsion system, one of the earliest such designs fitted to a sailing vessel.   

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