Rediscovering Princess Carolina: Preventive Conservation as a Catalyst for Reengaging With an Archaeological Collection

Abstract

In 1982, the remains of the merchant ship Princess Carolina were discovered and partially excavated under 175 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, New York. Recovered materials include nearly 400 timbers from the ship's bow along with 15,000 small artifacts. In 1988, the collection was donated to The Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. The intended exhibition of the objects never came to fruition, and the assemblage disappeared into storage. In 2018, conservators began a major project to address the preventive conservation needs of the ship's timbers, which were housed in non-climate-controlled storage. Following a timber condition assessment interest in the archaeological materials began to grow. This renewed awareness set the stage for the development of a rehousing initiative as well as scientific research focused on the effects of sulfur on formerly waterlogged wood. This paper discusses the challenges of reviving a dormant archaeological collection. It highlights that preventive conservation can be a mechanism for collection reengagement using the rehousing of Princess Carolina's bow timbers as a case study. The paper also describes the steps required to build project momentum as well as the development of a multi-year stage-based and flexible conservation work plan.