Submitted by Sammy Smith (sammy@thesga.org)

World Trade Center location in Google Earth satellite photograph. Note how far it now is from the Hudson River, on the left edge of the image.

Excavations by construction workers at the World Trade Center location in New York City exposed the timbers of a ship that presumably dates to the 1700s. The long-buried ship came to light on July 13, 2010.

David W. Dunlap’s story in the July 14th New York Times says:

The area under excavation, between Liberty and Cedar Streets, had not been dug out for the original trade center. The vessel, presumably dating from the mid- to late 1700s, was evidently undisturbed more than 200 years.

News of the find spread quickly. Archaeologists and officials hurried to the site, not only because of the magnitude of the discovery but because construction work could not be interrupted and because the timber, no longer safe in its cocoon of ooze, began deteriorating as soon as it was exposed to air.

Dunlap goes on to note:

A 1797 map shows that the excavation site is close to where Lindsey’s Wharf and Lake’s Wharf once projected into the Hudson. So, no matter how many mysteries now surround the vessel, it may turn out that the ghost even has a name.

Check out the story on the NYT website, which includes ten pictures.

Where to find it

Click above to go to a larger Google interactive map of the area.

Posted online on Thursday, July 15th, 2010