A 19th CENTURY FISHING SCHOONER IN THE 21st CENTURY : PRESERVING VIRGINIA FOR THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS

Abstract

Virginia is a mid-19th century, southern-built schooner owned by the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. The ship's career throughout the Gulf of Mexico spanned more than 140 years, first as an oyster schooner in Mobile Bay and ending as a commercial fishing vessel catching red snapper off of Florida's west coast. Presently, the ship remains in museum storage awaiting a well-developed plan for proposed restoration. Lack of historical evidence for the vessel's Civil War affiliated activities complicates present plans for the vessel at this institution. Each facet of this project contributes to the overarching problem of addressing Virginia's ongoing preservation. During its expansive working history, the schooner underwent countless repairs and modifications, some of which are discernible in contemporary material. Documenting these, while also noting preservation concerns, was the primary focus of fieldwork which combined traditional methods with advanced terrestrial recording equipment. Virtual representations of construction and historic forms were generated from measured sketches and collected three-dimensional data.