Existing comment:
Recovery: The canoe was found covered with mud and water in an old rice field levee. It was preserved because it stayed wet. Repeated wetting and drying would have made it decay rapidly.
The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology excavated the canoe and moved it to Georgetown in 1977. The canoe was sprayed with water daily to keep it from drying too quickly. If the wood had dried too fast, it might have shrunk or become warped. After drying, the canoe was moved to Columbia in 1982. |