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Expressions of a dying tradition: Vernacular watercraft in Apalachicola, Florida
Book chapter

Expressions of a dying tradition: Vernacular watercraft in Apalachicola, Florida

Della A. Scott-Ireton and Christopher E. Horrell
The Archaeology of Vernacular Watercraft, pp.53-64
Springer
2016

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Abstract

The sleepy community of Apalachicola, Florida, once was among the largest ports on the Gulf of Mexico , serving as the distribution center for goods shipped up and down the Apalachicola River . Fleets of watercraft plied the river and bay transporting cotton and other products from the interior of the southeastern United States and manufactured goods from all over the world to feed the booming regional economy. Many of these ships and boats were the products of local boatyards, and some were simply “homemade,” knocked together as needed by local people without the benefit of plans or much experience in boatwrightry. Built by people living along the Apalachicola River and Bay specifically for local needs and conditions, these watercraft are the very definition of “vernacular.” In 2002, the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research recorded the remains of several local boats in the Apalachicola River and its tributaries. This chapter describes these watercraft and their relationship to the economy of a coastal town on the north Florida Gulf Coast.

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