The Santa Elena Foundation will present an educational symposium on “Shipwrecks of America’s Lost Century” in Beaufort from April 5 – 6, 2019. This one-day conference gathers together a group of eminent maritime historians and nautical archaeologists to share their understanding of seafaring ventures and shipwrecks from the sixteenth century, America’s Lost Century. SC Humanities supported this program with a Major Grant.
The symposium will include lectures, video presentations, discussions, and Q&A periods covering European activity on America’s southeast coast during the 16thcentury, including the discovery of ten Spanish and French active shipwreck archaeology projects. In addition, the program will include a special recognition of the contributions by Dr. Eugene Lyon in illuminating the early maritime and colonial efforts at Santa Elena and in Spanish La Florida.
Presenters include Carla Rahn Phillips, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Don Keith, Ships of Discovery; Paul Hoffman, Louisiana State University; Barto Arnold, Institute of Nautical Archaeology; Roger Smith, Florida Division of Historical Resources; John Bratten, University of West Florida; Corey Malcom, Mel Fisher Maritime Museum; Chuck Meide, St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program; Brad Loewen, Université de Montréal; Gordon Watts, Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc; and James Spirek, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.
A replica of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus’ flagship, will be available for tours on the Beaufort waterfront from March 29 – April 7.
The symposium is ticketed, and registration is required, as seats are limited. To register or for more information, visit https://santa-elena.org/shipwrecks-conference-announcement/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 21-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
