Industry Findings
The archaeological evidence recovered from this site during the last four field seasons all points to a vessel carrying supplies to a colonial outpost. Archival research strongly supports the hypothesis that this site is the sloop Industry, lost May 6, 1764 bringing supplies to the British 9th Infantry Regiment under the command of Major Francis Ogilvie. The Industry was a privately owned vessel, commanded by Captain Daniel Lawrence and was sailing under contract to the British North American Command. The hiring of privately owned vessels to serve the Crown was common practice for the British, and reflects the lack of dedicated cargo carrying vessels on the rolls of the Royal Navy. Tools, grindstones, artillery, small arms ammunition, and agricultural implements all support this initial hypothesis. In the specific case of the iron bar stock, the commonly known presence of a forge in St. Augustine which dates to the early 17th century would certainly explain the large quantities of workable metal aboard the vessel. The primary archival data strongly substantiates this theorem, and given the precise dating from the recovered gun tube (1750-1760), renders a strong case for the vessel lost at site 8SJ3478 to be Captain Lawrence’s transport Industry. This section of the exhibit presents the archaeologists comments about the artifacts recovered during the excavation.
1. This marble object was recovered in 1998. Its identity was initially unknown. Additional research has lead to the conclusion that it is an apothecary tray.
2. One of the site’s eight guns was recovered on June 2, 1998. The cannon recovered was a six-pound, cast iron gun. The British broad arrow carved into its barrel designates it as a British cast gun. Its other markings reveal clues to its history, including its weight, when it was cast and who it was cast by.
3. Located to the north and west of the stowed guns is a large assemblage of flat iron bar stock, bent and twisted together, while other iron stock was also found in the cannon concretions. This iron stock would have been used with the commonly regarded St. Augustine forge.
4. A number of artifacts have been discovered during the examination and mechanical cleaning of the mass of concretion that was affixed to the bottom of the recovered gun tube. One such set of objects was a bunch of seven metal files. Each file was triangular in shape and tapered into a “rat-tail” at the end. The files were all wrapped together in organic fibers.
5. Just to the east of the cannon grouping, a millstone was discovered in 1997, although it was not excavated until 1998. Markings on the millstone are believed to refer to the weight and maker, although it is not yet known for certain what these markings refer to.
6. The cauldron was exposed at the southern end of a pile of anchors. It is made of iron and has two remaining legs and three reinforcement rings. There are signs that a third leg was once attached, but has since broken off. After a mechanical cleaning, the cauldron was placed into electrolysis for conservation.
7. A swivel gun was found on the Industry site, still in its wrought iron yoke. It would have fired ¾ pound balls and would be wedged in place to use for anti-personnel fire. Markings on the gun include a British broad arrow, its weight, and a crest. Not much else is known about these markings.
8. A test unit was dug in the south end of the site and three wooden boxes were discovered. After an in-situ recovery of measurement recording and video, the boxes were cradled in foam and directly raised to the surface in a plastic basket. The main box had only two of its side panels remaining. It was oriented upside down and concreted materials spilled out of it. The concreted contents consisted of 0.69 caliber lead shot, brass straight pins, an iron tool mold, and axe heads.
9. Three anchors were discovered on the site. These anchors were not used by the ship, but carried as cargo. They are all single fluked and have ground tackle rings in their crowns. Two of the anchors are of the same pattern, with the third being markedly different with a sharper rise of fluke.
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 10. Four small cask staves were recorded beneath a section of iron bar stock, immediately adjacent to the concreted remains of a cask of .69 caliber lead shot. This cask had collapsed into itself, with the iron hoops concreted into a single large ring. This circular shaped concretion is filled with .69 caliber lead shot.
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 11. The shovel blade was found concreted to the cannon and was recovered in the conservation lab. At the time that this blade was recovered, two more shovel blades were visible in the concretion mass, though not yet excavated. The blade is made of iron and has a socket where a wooden handle would have fit.
History | Methodology