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Thesis
The American Lighthouse and Shipwreck Site Formation: A Geospatial and Archival Analysis on the Significance of Lighthouses in Archaeological Research
University of West Florida Libraries
Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida
2025
Abstract
Lighthouses have been a key federal responsibility on the American shoreline since 1789. Their assistance to sailors and beachgoers has been well documented. While there is newer technology with lifesaving services during wreck events, many lighthouses continue to stand as functional historic landmarks today. As a key component of the maritime cultural landscape, lighthouses may assist archaeologists in determining the location of wrecking events in and near coastal harbors. This thesis combines archival research from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with geospatial data to identify key functions of lighthouses to examine the patterning of submerged archaeological shipwreck sites. Through understanding the spatial relationships between lighthouses, the coastline, and navigable waterways, archaeologists can better identify shipwreck sites and their formation processes within the maritime cultural landscape.
Details
- Title
- The American Lighthouse and Shipwreck Site Formation
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Contributors
- Gregory D Cook (Committee Chair)Amy Mitchell-Cook (Committee Member)Nicole Grinnan (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries; Argo Scholar Commons
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 126
- Copyright
- 2025 © Kaitlin Grace Decker
- Identifiers
- 99381559332606600
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Arts (MA)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida