| dc.description.abstract | From 2014 to 2016, researchers from Texas A&M University carried out an investigation of a submerged archaeological site in Lake Champlain, Vermont. The site, Shelburne Shipyard, contained four steamboat wrecks from the nineteenth century. The study of the earliest of these steamboats, Phoenix II, yielded over 200 artifacts diagnostic to aspects of shipboard life needing conservation. This presentation will discuss the conservation of the wood, leather, and ceramic artifacts, as well as research regarding their roles in relation to Phoenix II. The leather and wood have undergone conservation using silicone oil, an innovative method developed by the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University. The ceramics were manually and chemically cleaned to reveal their original surfaces. Ongoing research continues to identify the artifacts’ historical significance, which will provide context for their eventual display at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. | en |
