Historic Alexandria Ship Wins $4K Grant

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The 18th century ship discovered near Alexandria's waterfront received a $4,000 grant after placing second in Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts contest. The money will go toward conservation efforts underway before the ship can be put on display in Alexandria.

The ship received more than 5,500 votes from the public in the week-long contest. Voting closed on Jan. 24. The artifact trailed the first place winner, a rare audio disc performance at the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol, Va. This artifact received over 6,000 votes and will get a $5,000 grant.

Other top winners are a Segregation era "colored" sink in Portsmouth receiving a $3,000 grant and 1902 poll books from Prince William County receiving a $2,000 grant. The remaining six artifacts will each get $500-$750 for conservation and $250 for professional development. The winners will be recognized at Virginia Museums Advocacy Day on Feb. 21 in Richmond.

Here is the list of the 10 artifacts:

• Audio Disc of Rare Radio Performance by the Stanley Brothers with the Clinch Mountain Boys, Bristol, 1940s to 1950s (first place)
• Excavated 18th century merchant ship: Alexandria, 1750s to 1800 (second place)
• Segregation era "colored" Sink, Portsmouth (third place)
• Prince William County poll books, Dumfries, 1902 (fourth place)
• Young Woman's 1864 Diary, Lynchburg, 1864
• Paris Peace Conference Parade Flag, Staunton, 1919
• Odd Fellows ceremonial collar, Blacksburg, early 1900s
• James C. Foltz Distillery still, Winchester, early 1900s
• D-Day Order of the Day, Bedford, June 6, 1944
• Electric car driver's permit for first woman in Washington, DC, Wytheville, Sept. 7, 1904

The historic Alexandria ship had been discovered in late 2015 as construction began for the waterfront Hotel Indigo. Currently it is undergoing a conservation process at Texas A&M University's Conservation Research Laboratory. Conservation will take a few years before the ship returns to Alexandria for an exhibit. You can track the ship's progress here.

Image via City of Alexandria