Historic Alexandria Ship Gets Massive Grant

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The City of Alexandria has received a $97,117 federal grant to conserve the 18th century ship found on the Hotel Indigo site in late 2015.

The city's Maritime Heritage Preservation Grant from the National Park Service, presented in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, will go toward the current multiyear conservation efforts of the ship’s fragile wooden timbers. The ship remains are undergoing the conservation process at Texas A&M University’s Conservation Research Laboratory.

This is the second grant the city received for the historic ship. In February, it won a $4,000 grant from the Virginia Association of Museums after placing second in Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts contest.

The ship and a historic warehouse had been discovered as construction got underway for Hotel Indigo. Archaeologists are required to be on construction sites to monitor for historic features. Conservation will take a few years before the ship returns to Alexandria to be on exhibit. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

As if this ship wasn't enough to get historic buffs excited, archaeologists uncovered three more historic ships at the Robinson Landing construction site this year alone. These three ships were likely built during the mid-to-late 1700s and buried before 1798.

The discoveries will provide additional insight into wharves and piers, maritime vessels, early industries, and commercial and domestic activities in Alexandria, which was founded in 1749.

"Archaeological work along the waterfront continues to enrich the maritime history of Alexandria," said city archaeologist Eleanor Breen in a statement. "The City is coordinating efforts to determine a long-term plan for the historic ships."

Learn more about the historic ships at www.alexandriava.gov/Archaeology.

Image via City of Alexandria