Beneath the Shifting Sands A Journey to Discover the Identity of a Historic Shipwreck on Nantucket’s South Shore

By Evan Schwanfelder, Director of Education and Public Programs at Egan Maritime Institute

On the morning of November 30, 2022, I received a message from a friend on my phone, “Hey, any idea about the shipwreck that got uncovered on the south shore?”

In my five years at Egan Maritime, at least a few times a year, I get a call or someone comes into the office claiming to have found a “shipwreck.” While these messages are always well-intentioned, the remnants found are typically small and impossible to place in any historical context.

This specific case was not the norm, and a photo was attached. The picture showed what appeared to be a bow section, with frame pieces exposed. It looked old and substantial in size, so I decided to explore the site myself at low tide and was blown away by a few things. First, the size at approximately 40 feet long, pacing off the distance, and 12-15 feet wide. Second, based on the first photos I’d seen, the site had already filled in substantially.

By Saturday, word was spreading on the island; more people had seen the site and sent pictures to local news outlets. At Egan, our team decided it was time to research our next steps. A quick Google search yielded the results. The organization Egan needed to get in touch with was the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archeological Resources (BUAR). On the website, they had a link to a one-page form that we filled out and submitted.

Just a day later, we were on the phone with the head archeologist at the BUAR, David Robinson, who was very excited to see the wreck and cautioned that time was of the essence in surveying the site on the beach. Dave and his colleague Graham McKay, master wooden boat builder and marine archeologist, were scheduled on a ferry to the island by the end of the week.

Egan assembled a local team to compile as much research data as we could. The group included members of Egan Maritime staff, Michael Harrison, the Chief Curator and Obed Macy Research Chair at the NHA, and Holly Backus, Nantucket’s Preservation Planner. After looking at various data points from local newspaper archives and secondary sources on Nantucket shipwrecks, the group determined that remains could be from one of three ships: Poinsett, Austin Locke, or Warren Sawyer

Ultimately, the group decided to focus their research on Warren Sawyer, which included reviewing historic photographs, insurance, and construction records in the NHA’s collection. These documents gave insight into the composition of the wood, and the types of fasteners used to build the vessel.

On December 8, just before low tide, the team headed out to survey the wreck. The site itself had filled in substantially since the time of the first reporting, but enough was still visible for Robinson and McKay to do an in-depth field survey. Robinson took special note of the type of wood in the remains and fastening hardware. We found a discrepancy in the visible wood types with what was listed on the construction records, but further research into the construction records revealed repair records of “mixed” wood in the Warren Sawyer The most significant missing piece of the puzzle was the lack of copper fasteners. Iron fastenings and wooden treenails were present, but the records clearly stated that the vessel was “iron and copper fastened,” and without the recorded presence of copper, it would be hard to say with complete certainty that the wreck was conclusively the Warren Sawyer.

In February of 2023, Egan Maritime once again got a call that another large fragment was exposed to the east of the original site. Approximately 1,000 feet east of the original site was another substantial piece of wreckage. Knowing the process, I took pictures, logged the coordinates, and filed a BUAR report. Dave Robinson and Michael Harrison reviewed the findings and determined it was most likely a stern section. Dave asked right away if I had seen any copper. During this initial review, I hadn’t seen the fastenings. That afternoon, at low tide, I went back to the site, and after just a few minutes I found a small black nail head with absolutely no rust or corrosion nailed into the butt end of an outer piece of hull planking, exactly where Dave said to look. We had found the presence of copper, the location of the two pieces matched the description of the debris field after the vessel had broken apart, and we were much closer to determining the true identity. In a follow-up conversation with Dave, I asked if we could conclude that these wreck fragments are the Warren Sawyer. He replied that we could absolutely not say that it isn’t the Warren Sawyer, and with the weight of evidence provided compared to the archeological remains, the simplest explanation, in this case, is probably the most applicable: the remains are most likely the remnants of the wrecked coastal schooner Warren Sawyer

Today, Egan Maritime is committed to collaborating with our research partners to launch an education program where community members can visit the sites and learn more about the research process. Nantucket’s history belongs to everyone, and we want to create educational programs that involve the whole community and teach the next generation of Island residents to be thoughtful stewards of our coastline. In addition, we are adding an exhibition on the Warren Sawyer to Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum to allow curious minds to learn more about this important piece of Nantucket history.

To explore this story further, tune into Egan Maritime’s Time and Tide podcast!

Programs

NHA on the Road

Bringing Nantucket's rich history and stories to senior residents island-wide. This winter, our Museum Guides explored various stories with senior residents, including the Wampanoags, the story of the Great Fire of 1846, and Women’s history, which the NHA partnered with the Maria Mitchell Association on during the month of March.

Generously funded by The Community Foundation of Nantucket

Mindful History

Serving over 150 participants this winter, our new series Mindful History includes programs for the year-round community and visitors to discover their personal connection to art and history through participant-based conversation and reflection using the Whaling Museum collections, as well as yoga and meditation at Greater Light, and free-flow Decorative Arts workshops at various NHA properties. Connecting through Art and History guides participants through a multi-step process to See, Think, Connect, and Uncover their relationships to multiple pieces in our collection. The NHA partners with Fairwinds, Nantucket’s Counseling Center, on this series. Generously supported by The Tupancy-Harris Foundation.

Transcribe-A-Thon

We were thrilled to host the first-ever NHA Transcribe-A-Thon at the Whaling Museum this past March. Participants were invited to learn how to join our volunteer transcription program, get tips and guidelines for interpreting historic handwriting, and have the opportunity to practice transcribing with others. In addition to transcribing our ships’ logs collection, volunteers explored new projects recently digitized, including the Marshall-Pinkham-Farrier family papers and the Obed Macy journals and letter books. There was a hands-on calligraphy lettering station and a display of some of the archival material from the recently digitized collections on view for participants to see in person. With over 25 participants, the group transcribed 67 pages from the collection in one day!

If you would like to join our volunteer transcription program or learn about our next Transcribe-A-Thon event, please visit NHA.org or email Ashley Miller, NHA Assistant Archivist, at amiller@nha.org

This work is made possible thanks to a visionary gift from Connie and Tom Ciggaran, who understand and value how digitization and transcription help make our collections available and accessible to all.

School Programs

The Education team continues to engage with our island’s youth, bringing Nantucket history into the classroom and inviting students on adventures in the museum. In February, Nantucket Boys & Girls Club students spent the afternoon crafting a sailor’s valentine. In March, the Cyrus Pierce Middle School seventh grade class spent a day at the Whaling Museum to explore the ill-fated voyage of the whaleship Essex as they read the young readers’ version of In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Students enjoyed the signature Whaling Museum program of the Essex Gam presented by a Museum Guide, drawing scrimshaw, and touring the Essex exhibit.

Discovery Center Update

This spring, the Discovery Center is getting a fresh makeover, including a new mural by Mary Emery Lacoursiere in the story-time reading corner. As well as an engaging information interactive monitor, a student art display space, and a new Captain’s Quarters play station to open this summer.

Youth Weaving

This past March through April, we offered beginner and advanced youth weaving workshops, cultivating a returning group to continue honing their skills and welcoming a new group to introduce the iconic island craft. Our advanced youth weavers were invited to use dyed materials for their basics to create a colorful basket this winter, as seen here.

Little History Explorers

This spring, the popular offering of Little History Explorers returned to the Discovery Center, engaging with a younger audience, ages 1-5, in partnership with the Nantucket Community School. This program gives this young group a little taste of Nantucket history by visiting exhibits, enjoying a story time reading, and engaging with hands-on activities and crafts.

Meet new staff in roles at the NHA!

Robin London, Events Manager

Robin is a born-and-bred New Yorker who has had her own photography and production company for over thirty years, where she specialized in fashion, portraiture, and events. After volunteering at a local pet rescue group, she started photographing her favorite portraits, “Soulful Pet Portraits.” Back in 1993, when Robin first visited Nantucket and stepped foot on those cobblestones, she knew the island would one day be her home. Robin has lived full-time on island since 2020 with her husband and their three rescue huskies. As an artist, Robin’s always dreamed of joining the NHA team. Robin says, “Starting a new life in my happy place has proven that hard work, determination, and countless Nantucket photographs helped make my dream come true! Working as the Events Manager for the NHA makes this dream even better.”

Amy Seip, Finance Manager

Amy comes to Nantucket from Northern Wisconsin/Minnesota where, for the past ten years, she worked in higher education at the University of Minnesota. She received her Master of Business Administration, with a focus on Leadership & Change / Organization Development, from the College of St. Scholastica and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin. She is thrilled to be a part of the NHA team, and when not in the office she can usually be found exploring the island’s many trails and beaches with her husband and three sons.

Deborah Sorensen, Robyn & John Davis Curator of Exhibitions

Deborah, a Texas native and resident of Maryland, is excited to join the NHA as a remote team-member who will come to Nantucket regularly to support and further the NHA’s exhibition program. In Washington, D.C., she spent 17 years at the National Building Museum crafting exhibitions and film programs on far-ranging architecture and design topics and more recently served as Senior Content Developer for the planned Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. She also served as Senior Content Developer for the planned Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. She has an M.A. in Museum Studies from The George Washington University. Deborah is the proud mom of an artsy teenager and two loud rescue dogs.