The Mcdavid Boat
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THE MCDAVID BOAT by Robert George Rutledge B. A., University of West Florida, 2011 B. A., Bemidji State University, 1995 A thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities The University of West Florida In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2015 © 2015 Robert George Rutledge The thesis of Robert George Rutledge is approved: __________________________________________ ____________________ Gregory D. Cook, Ph.D, Committee Member Date __________________________________________ ____________________ Amy Mitchell-Cook, Ph.D., Committee Member Date __________________________________________ ____________________ John R. Bratten, Ph.D., Committee Chair Date Accepted for the Department/Division: __________________________________________ ____________________ John R. Bratten, Ph.D., Chair Date Accepted for the University: __________________________________________ ____________________ Richard S. Podemski, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate School Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I greatly appreciate the assistance and encouragement of my committee members, Dr. John Bratten, Dr. Greg Cook, and Dr. Amy Mitchell-Cook, over the course of my graduate studies, field schools, and the preparation of this thesis. This effort is also supported by a foundation of university personnel offering their continuous support. Mrs. Cindi Jackson, Mr. Steve McLin, and Mr. Fritz Sharer have each provided essential support. Dr. John Worth and Mr. John Phillips have provided excellent assistance and advice. I would also like to acknowledge the important assistance of Mr. Neal Collier of the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society in Century, Florida; Mr. Jerry Simmons of the Escambia County Historical Society in Brewton, Alabama; and Mr. Tom McMillan of the McMillan Trust Archive in Brewton, Alabama. These gentlemen have provided independent research and have provided me access to their archives and historical collections. The contributions of university staff members in all departments have come together to make graduate school an unmatched experience for me, and I thank you all. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1 CHAPTER II. HISTORY .............................................................................................................4 CHAPTER III. SITE DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................23 CHAPTER IV. INITIAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MCDAVID BOAT ....................................26 CHAPTER V. COMPONENT ANALYSIS ...............................................................................32 A. Nails .............................................................................................................32 B. Mechanical Power Systems .........................................................................38 C. Propeller Systems ........................................................................................40 D. Rubber Hose .................................................................................................42 E. Yellow Pine ..................................................................................................43 CHAPTER VI. RANGE ..............................................................................................................45 CHAPTER VII. THEORY ............................................................................................................51 CHAPTER VIII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................................55 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................62 APPENDIXES ...............................................................................................................................71 A. Photographs of the McDavid Boat as Found in June 2011 .........................72 B. Photographs of the McDavid Boat as Surveyed in June 2011 ....................79 C. 1960 List of Old Lumber Mills Operating in the Region ............................86 D. 1891 List of Old Saw Mills in the Escambia-Conecuh Watershed Area of South-Central Alabama .................................................88 E. A Partial List of Water-Powered Mills and Related Sites Near McDavid, Florida, as Discovered in the 1996 Survey, ROI #058 ......90 F. West Coast Naval Stores Company 1899 Incorporation Papers .................93 G. River Surveys Completed in April 2012 and February 2013 ......................95 H. Hand-drawn Maps of the Conecuh-Escambia Watershed System Showing Estimated Range of the McDavid Boat in High and Low Water Conditions .............................................................98 v I. Late Winter Photographs of Moderate River Levels in Headwater Areas ...................................................................................101 J. Early Summer Photographs of Receding River Levels in Headwater Areas ...................................................................................106 K. Spring Photographs of High Water Levels in Headwater Areas ...............111 L. Side-Scan Sonar Images Taken 17 July 2013 ...........................................115 M. Magnetometer Surveys of the McDavid Site Taken 23 July 2013 ............119 N. McDavid Boat Site Plan Drawn by Author, 2014 .....................................121 O. Copyright Permission Letters ....................................................................123 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Escambia County, Florida, map with McDavid in the upper center. .......................................2 2. 1865 map of the Conecuh-Escambia River valley. ..................................................................6 3. Milner’s 1880s sawmill in McDavid, Florida. .......................................................................10 4. Turpentine processing camp at Munson, Florida. ..................................................................12 5. Receipt for still products. .......................................................................................................13 6. Letter from area farmer involved in the turpentine business. ................................................14 7. Group of log rafts along the Escambia River. ........................................................................15 8. Bud Seymour and 45-foot shrimp boat—Apalachicola, Florida. ..........................................20 9. Shrimp boat Miss Joann being built by Thomas Herrin in Mayport — Jacksonville, Florida. ...................................................................................................................................21 10. Site plan of the McDavid Boat. ..............................................................................................22 11. Bottom hull planking at the stern. Planks 1, 2, 3, and 4 appear to be 1 x 12s or 2 x 12s. Planks 5 and 6 appear to be 1 x 6s or 2 x 6s, form the centerline of the boat, and may run the full length of the hull to form a keel. ..........................................................27 12. Seriation chart of cut nail types and use-periods. ..................................................................35 13. A 1912 supplier of cut nails to the Pensacola, Florida, area. .................................................36 14. A 1902 supplier of drawn-wire nails and cut nails in Brewton, Alabama. ............................37 15. Ford Model T engine adapted for marine use. .......................................................................40 16. Engine mounting section showing the rubber hose set into the decking. ..............................42 17. Conecuh-Escambia and Blackwater river basin map. The Blackwater River was not part of the survey. .....................................................................................................45 18. Map of the Conecuh, Pigeon, Sepulga, Murder, and Burnt Corn river systems in south- central Alabama. ....................................................................................................................47 19. Map of the Patsaliga River system in south-central Alabama. ..............................................48 20. 1955 Canadian-built “Boom Boat.” .......................................................................................60 vii ABSTRACT THE MCDAVID BOAT Robert George Rutledge In 2011, local people pulled a wrecked, drifting boat from the Escambia River near the village of McDavid in northwestern Florida. Over the following two years, the vessel was examined by teams of archaeologists from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. Unlike traditional shipwrecks, this small boat had no identifying elements and was completely without a related site, artifacts, cargo, or remaining physical elements that could help answer the researchers’ questions about its origin and purpose. Sonar and magnetometer surveys were inconclusive, and none of the missing hull pieces, power-plant elements, or steering gear components