1783 Wreck at World Trade Centre

Photo LMDC Columbia University

In July 2010, during the cleanup and reconstruction efforts following the 2001 World Trade Center collapse, workers discovered a 32-foot section of a shipwreck buried 7 feet below the site’s foundation. Identified as an 18th-century sloop, it originated from Philadelphia around 1773, likely used for trade.

Dendrochronology and wood analysis confirmed the ship’s white oak timbers were felled in 1773, linking it to pre-Revolutionary America.

Preserved by the site’s muddy, oxygen-poor environment, the vessel offered insights into colonial shipbuilding and Manhattan’s historical waterfront, now displayed at the New York State Museum.