Queen Anne's Revenge
Laboratory Excavation Report
UAB Conservation Laboratory, Greenville
Sarah Watkins-Kenney QAR Project Conservator
Wendy Welsh, QAR Laboratory Manager
Eric Nordgren, Project Assistant Conservator
September 2004

  September started with x-raying artifacts at the QAR Lab. ECU Graduate Assistants began working at the lab in time to help with the documentation process for the objects going to the museum in October and the North Carolina Museum of History Associates (NCMHA) in Greenville celebrated the QAR Project at an evening event.

 X-raying at the QAR Lab

In July's report we mentioned concretion QAR495.000, and our desire to have it x-rayed. The size, weight and fragility of this concretion makes travel difficult, so on September 9th, Sgt. Foster and SSgt. Leonard, of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) at the Marine Corp Air Station in Cherry Point, helped us out once again by coming to the QAR lab. Their portable x-ray unit was set up in our warehouse where QAR495.000 and a few other objects were x-rayed.

The removal of ballast stones from QAR495.000 made it possible to see the outlines of some cavities as well as wood going through the center. Nail heads and shanks were apparent but there was also one intriguing area where the outlines crossed one another many times. Other objects x-rayed include the large deadeye strop concretion off of C-4 QAR366.075 and the gunlock QAR326.000. The x-rays were not powerful enough to go through the center of QAR366.075 so it was x-rayed in three different places. First, the ring and large rod were x-rayed to assess the condition of the metal, which looked to be solid. Next we tried to penetrate the evident chain behind the wood but only an outline of the outside chains was revealed.

X-ray images provide conservators with a means of looking `inside' artifacts, which helps in determining a strategy to conserve them. Sgt. Foster and SSgt. Leonard were given a proper tour of the QAR facilities and once again we thank the EOD staff for their help.

ECU Graduate Assistants Fall 2004

Shortly after the start of the Fall semester two new ECU Graduate Assistants started to work with us. They were sponsored by Dr. Tim Runyan of ECU's Maritime Studies Program and Dr. Charles Ewen of the ECU Anthropology/Archaeology Department.

Kristin Koshgarian is currently a first year student of the MA Program in Maritime Studies. She recently moved from Albuquerque, NM where she graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BS in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology and a minor in Biology. Her research interests include maritime material culture and the conservation of archaeological objects. Kristin has worked on archaeological projects in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Cantabria, Spain.

Kim Smith is currently a first year student of the MA Program in Anthropology. She obtained a BS in Anthropology with a concentration in forensic anthropology from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA in 2003. After graduating, Kim worked in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) for a year, working in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, New York and Florida. Her current research interest is in archaeology with an emphasis on prehistoric archaeology.

Both students started the third week of September, just in time to help with getting the objects ready to transfer to the NCMM in October. The students have been verifying or taking the final measurements and weights on all the objects set to go to the museum.

The QAR Project very much appreciates ECU support through their graduate research program.

NCMHA Event

QAR Project Conservator Sarah Watkins-Kenney, Assistant Conservator Eric Nordgren and Lab Manager Wendy Welsh were pleased to receive an invitation to the North Carolina Museum of History Associates' event, held Thursday, September 16th and hosted by Mr. and Mrs. John Coffman at their home in Greenville. The QAR lab staff brought artifacts that are not yet available to the pubic for viewing, which included concretions, castings, pewter platters, cannon shot, ceramics and a pipe bowl. The staff were able to explain and discuss the objects with individuals and to answer their questions; small-scale demonstrations were used to illustrate some of the conservation procedures the artifacts go through from recovery to display.

Former Secretary of the North Carolina Dept. of Culture Resources, Betty Ray McCain, always an advocate for the QAR Project, spoke to the associates it was a pleasure for the QAR lab staff to meet someone who has done so much for this project. QAR Project Director, Mark Wilde-Ramsing also gave a presentation and David Moore, QAR Archaeologist represented the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Thank you to the NCMHA for their interest in the QAR Project.

Next Month, the QAR Fall field season and the nails finally go to the museum.

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