Page 1 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
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NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 PRISCILLA (SLOOP) Page 1 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form 1. NAME OF PROPERTY Historic Name: Priscilla Other Name/Site Number: Great South Bay Oyster Sloop Priscilla 2. LOCATION Street & Number: Waterfront, Long Island Maritime Museum, 84 West Avenue Not for publication:__ City/Town: West Sayville Vicinity:_ State: NY County: Suffolk Code: 103 Zip Code: 11796 3. CLASSIFICATION Ownership of Property Category of Property Private: X Building(s): _ Public-Local: _ District: _ Public-State: _ Site: _ Public-Federal: Structure: X Object: _ Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing _ buildings _ sites _ structures _ objects 1 Total Number of Contributing Resources Previously Listed in the National Register: N/A Name of Related Multiple Property Listing: N/A Designated a NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK on FEB 1 1 2006 by the Secretary of the Interior NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 PRISCILLA (SLOOP) Page 2 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service____________________________________National Register of Historic Places Registration Form 4. STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this __ nomination __ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property __ meets __ does not meet the National Register Criteria. Signature of Certifying Official Date State or Federal Agency and Bureau In my opinion, the property __ meets __ does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of Commenting or Other Official Date State or Federal Agency and Bureau 5. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this property is: Entered in the National Register Determined eligible for the National Register Determined not eligible for the National Register Removed from the National Register Other (explain): _________________ Signature of Keeper Date of Action NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMBNo. 1024-0018 PRISCILLA (SLOOP) Page 3 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form 6. FUNCTION OR USE Historic: Transportation Sub: Water-related Current: Transportation Sub: Water-related 7. DESCRIPTION Architectural Classification: N/A Materials: Foundation (lower hull): wood Walls (upper hull): wood Roof (deck): wood Other (superstructure): wood NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 PRISCILLA (SLOOP) Page 4 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Describe Present and Historic Physical Appearance.1 Priscilla is a classic Long Island "south-sider" oyster dredging sloop, home-ported in West Sayville, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. She was built in 1888 at Patchogue (also in Suffolk County) by Elisha Saxton. Priscilla is 60 feet in length overall and 38 feet, 10 inches long on deck. She has a 14-foot beam, and a 3-foot, 7-inch draft. Her wide beam and shoal draft are ideally suited to dredging shellfish from the flats of Long Island's bays and river estuaries of the Connecticut shore. Hull The overall shape of the hull is round bottomed, with center board, clipper type bow, and a rounded wine glass shaped counter stern. Priscilla exhibits the low freeboard so necessary for hauling heavy dredges on board. Most of the structure of Priscilla's hull was replaced during the 2002-2003 restoration. The hull is planked with longleaf yellow pine and white oak over white oak and Osage orange frames. The keel and other backbone timbers are made from white oak. The bowsprit is painted white from the bow tip aft 21 inches, then a section 8 feet, 10 inches long left natural, and finally another 49 inches painted white, which ends at the stem. The bowsprit is octagonal in section and built from eastern white pine. Beneath the bowsprit and attached to the top of the stem is a hackmatack knee forming the clipper bow. A carved eagle head is attached to the knee and is covered in gold leaf. She carries port and starboard name boards painted green with white letters and gold leaf stars. The hull is painted white with a red bottom from the waterline down. The covering boards and cap rails are painted green. All hardware attached to the outside of the hull is painted black. Deck Decking is eastern white pine laid parallel to the curve of the hull. Decking is secured to the king plank, covering boards, and deck beams. The deck is left natural. The king planks and covering boards are painted green. The king plank is 18 inches wide and extends from the stem to the stern broken only by the mast, amidships hatches and cabin. A horseshoe is attached to the forward side of the hatch coaming facing up. This is "to catch the luck." The bowsprit extends 48 inches aft of where it penetrates the front of the bulwarks. A windlass abuts the aft end of the bowsprit and is cast with raised lettering: "PAT USA ENG & OAN 3D." The main hatch is 60 inches wide forward, 134 inches long with the sides convex paralleling the curve of the hull, 96 inches wide aft and 9 inches high. All hatches are painted colonial cream. A metal ventilator sits in the center of the king plank just forward of the hatch coaming. The rail cap is also painted green and runs completely around the bulwarks. The cabin trunk is 85 Vz inches wide at the forward end, 73 inches wide at aft end, and 93 inches long. On each side of the cabin is a 24 inch long and 9 inch high window. There is a forward window 18 inches long and 9 inches high. A wooden drip deflector is present above all three windows. The cabin top is convex to help shed water and painted colonial cream. The deck has a 6 inch step 30 inches aft of the main hatches. The height of the cabin forward of this step is 32 inches and 40 V2 inches aft of the step. The 1 The description is based on comprehensive observations undertaken during the 2002-2003 restoration conducted at the Long Island Maritime Museum and line drawings by Mystic Seaport Museum. There are copies of line drawings of Priscilla in the files of the Long Island Maritime Museum and in the NFS Maritime Heritage Program office files. NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 PRISCILLA (SLOOP) Page 5 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service _ National Register of Historic Places Registration Form companion way, located on the aft end of the cabin, has removable sliding drop boards and a three step ladder to the cabin floor. The interior of the cabin is painted white. The wheel box is 21 l/2 inches wide and 30 % inches long and 26 inches high. The wheel is an eight spoke iron wheel with "Boston" in raised letters on the casting. The wheel handles are wood. All hatch and cabin coamings are white oak. The cabin and hatch covers are eastern white pine and northern white cedar. Rig Priscilla carries a gaff rig sloop sail plan. The mast is stepped through the middle of the king plank forward of the main hatch. Where it passes through the deck it is covered with a canvas boot. The mast is 12 inches in diameter at the deck and 6 inches in diameter at the top. The boom is 34 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. The gaff is 20 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. The jib club is 15 feet long and three inches in diameter. The boom and gaff are held to the mast with wooden jaws. The jib club is attached to a traveler on the top of the bowsprit at the forward end. All three are painted white. The mast carries wooden hoops for fastening the sail. The mast is left natural except for the upper end which is painted white. The sails are a synthetic fiber called oceanus which closely resembles the original canvas but is more durable. The mast has two shrouds to a side which are tensioned by wooden deadeyes. There are two headstays from the mast to the bowsprit and two bobstays underneath the bowsprit. Priscilla has port and starboard bowsprit shrouds. All standing rigging is 3/4 inch galvanized wire and served with tarred marline at both ends. All running rigging is Roblon; a synthetic fiber which closely resembles hemp. All running rigging passes through wooden blocks and is secured to wooden cleats or belaying pins. Changes in Physical Appearance During Period of Significance. 1888-1953 During the ownership of Clinton Hopkins between 1900 and 1927, Priscilla'§ cabin was raised so that he could stand up inside. This was probably done sometime in the 1920s when Hopkins retired and was living aboard. In 1936 Charles Dowd replaced the four topside planks on each side with full length yellow pine obtained from Norwich, Connecticut. He replaced several frames with various woods including oak and apple. He used lead pipes which he bent to the curves of the frames he needed and used the pipes as patterns to find suitable natural crooks.