Queen Anne's Revenge
Laboratory Excavation Report
UAB Preservation Laboratory, Fort Fisher
Nathan Henry, UAB Conservator
Wendy Welsh, QAR Conservator Technician
November, 2002

During the month of November, 1,319 individual artifacts were processed in the Fort Fisher laboratory. A sizeable percentage of these artifacts were recovered from a single concretion, QAR 325 (see 10/28/02). This concretion contained 1,072 lead shot varying in size from .08-inch (small shotgun shot size) to .60-inch (musket ball size) in diameter. In addition, the concretion contained bits of glass, iron spikes, slate shingle fragments and a 2-pounder cannon shot. The association of the cannon shot with the lead shot and other items suggest they may have been collected for use in a small cannon, bringing to mind the Boston News-Letter (March 2,1719) account of Blackbeard's final battle:

"Teach fired some small Guns, loaded with Swan shot, spick Nails and pieces of old Iron, in upon Maynard, which killed six of his men and wounded ten… ."

Efforts were concentrated on processing artifact casts. Concretion material was removed from 60 casts, most of which were cask-hoop fragments and fasteners. As the laboratory crew's casting expertise advanced, larger, multi-component molds were cast. Several of the cask-hoop casts were complete enough to determine the diameter of the original hoops, and therefore the casks they once held together. Further research on this artifact category could conceivably give researchers insight into type of cargo/booty carried aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Examples of various other artifact categories were represented in November's discoveries. Numerous ballast stones as well as bone, rope and fabric samples were recovered. One brass straight pin, completely embedded in concretion, was removed undamaged-a testament to the skill and care exhibited by the laboratory personnel.

Thanks go out to Katie German, Jessica Davis, and Michael Tutwiler, our UNC-Wilmington interns. Their hard work in the laboratory was a tremendous help. We would like to congratulate Michael, who will graduate with a BA in Anthropology in December, and will begin working full time at the Fort Fisher laboratory in January.

 

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