Uncover shipwrecks at Hart’s Cove and Wallis Sands with nautical historian, Dr. David Switzer on Tuesday July 13, 2010 at 7:00pm at Rye Public Library. (Details below)

Dr. David Switzer of Plymouth State University, Consulting Nautical Archeologist for the State of New Hampshire, will recount his work on two wrecks off the Rye coast. Dr. Switzer, a true pioneer in the field of nautical archaeology, will discuss a mysterious wreck in Hart’s Cove at the mouth of the Piscataqua River and the more well known wreck of the Lizzie Carr on the south end of Wallis Sands beach in Rye.

The Hart’s Cove wreck was located by a sonar and magnetometer survey of the Shoals, Great Bay and sections of the Piscataqua. Switzer and his team set out to identify the type of craft; obtain an idea as to when it sank; and complete a measured drawing of the revealed structure. His discussion will detail in words and images the difficult diving conditions that hampered the team as they worked toward their sunken goal, and their revealing results.

At the Wallis Sands site, a 62-foot long section of hull structure was uncovered by a storm. Excavation work was prolonged by repeated burial of the wreck by current driven sand. Ultimately, the hull section was revealed once more, allowing the identification of the vessel as a two masted schooner heading to New York City from Calais Maine loaded with lumber. Hurricane winds on the night of January 5th 1906 drove the schooner into the beach where she met her fate.

Learn more about these specific nautical archeology sites, and about the maritime tradition of New Hampshire’s Seacoast at this informative and entertaining event.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Rye Public Library and Rye Historical Society made possible through a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council. Please contact Library Director Andy Richmond at (603) 964-8401 for more information.