The Value of Maritime Archaeological Heritage
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE VALUE OF MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF SHIPWRECKS IN THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC by Calvin H. Mires April 2014 Director of Dissertation: Dr. Nathan Richards Ph.D. Program in Coastal Resources Management Off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks are the remains of ships spanning hundreds of years of history, architecture, technology, industry, and maritime culture. Potentially more than 2,000 ships have been lost in “The Graveyard of the Atlantic” due to a combination of natural and human factors. These shipwrecks are tangible artifacts to the past and constitute important archaeological resources. They also serve as dramatic links to North Carolina’s historic maritime heritage, helping to establish a sense of identity and place within American history. While those who work, live, or visit the Outer Banks and look out on the Graveyard of the Atlantic today have inherited a maritime heritage as rich and as historic as any in the United States, there is uncertainty regarding how they perceive and value the preservation of maritime heritage resources along the Outer Banks, specifically shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. This dissertation is an exploratory study that combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies from the fields of archaeology, economics, and sociology, by engaging different populations in a series of interviews and surveys. These activities are designed to understand and evaluate the public’s current perceptions and attitudes towards maritime archaeological heritage, to estimate its willingness to pay for preservation of shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and to provide baseline data for informing future preservation, public outreach, and education efforts. THE VALUE OF MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF SHIPWRECKS IN THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC A Dissertation Presented To the Faculty of Coastal Resources Management Ph.D. Program East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Coastal Resources Management by Calvin H. Mires April , 2014 © Calvin H. Mires, 2014 THE VALUE OF MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF SHIPWRECKS IN THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC by Calvin H. Mires APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF DISSERTATION : ______________________________________________________________ Nathan Richards, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: ________________________________________________________ Derek Alderman, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: _______________________________________________________ Craig Landry, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: _______________________________________________________ David Mallinson, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: _______________________________________________________ Hans Vogelsong, Ph.D. DIRECTOR OF THE Ph.D. PROGRAM IN COASTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: ______________________________________ Hans Vogelsong, Ph.D DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _________________________________________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This has truly been an interdisciplinary endeavor, and there are many people to whom I owe my gratitude. First, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Nathan Richards, whose support, guidance, and understanding allowed me to complete this process. I want to thank my committee members, Dr. Derek Alderman; Dr. Craig Landry; Dr. David Mallinson, and Dr. Hans Vogelsong –for being there to offer their expertise, suggestions, and advice when I need it. I want to thank North Carolina Sea Grant College and the Ph.D. Program in Coastal Resources Management for their generous support and funding of this project. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Program in Maritime Studies, Lynn Harris, Jennifer McKinnon, Nathan Richards, Brad Rodgers, Dave Stewart, and Karen Underwood, for their support and encouragement. I want to thank Mandee Lancaster and Justin Raines from ECU’s Center for Survey Research for all their help and efforts in creating and processing the final survey instrument. I also want to thank John McCord and Nancy White at the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute, for their help and assistance. I want to thank former and current students of the Program in Maritime Studies who volunteered their time to help me: Jennifer Jones and Stephen Sanchagrin for their help with GIS; John Bright for his thoughtful suggestions and input: Jeremy Borelli, Ryan Bradley, Kara and Mike Fox, Chelsea Freeland, Sara Kerfoot, Allison Miller, Alyssa Reisner, Will Sassorossi, Laurel Seaborn, Sonia Valencia, Jeneva and Kent Wright, and Caitlin Zant for spending a long Saturday stuffing thousands of envelopes. I want to thank my parents, Robert and Mary Lou Mires, whose support and encouragement has always allowed me to pursue my goals. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Carolyn, and my daughter, Sarah Baker Mires, who have been beyond patient, understanding, encouraging and supportive during this journey. Thank you. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………………….. viii LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………………….. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………………….. xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………... 1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………... 4 Purpose………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Primary Research Question………………………………..………………………… 5 Secondary Research Questions……….…………………..………………………… 5 Discussion and Delimitation of Terms………………………………………………. 6 Chapter Summaries………………………………………………………………….. 9 CHAPTER 2: ARCHAEOLOGY AS HERITAGE………………………………………... 13 Introduction………………………………………………..………………………… 13 Heritage……………………….……….…………………..………………………… 13 Archaeology and Heritage.………………………………...………………………… 20 Policy and Archaeological Heritage….…………………..……….………………… 28 Public Outreach as Heritage Construction in Archaeology.………………………… 35 Conclusion…………………………….…………….……..………………………… 40 CHAPTER 3: VALUING ARCHAEOLOGICAL HEIRTAGE…………………..………. 42 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 42 Estimating Value as a Contested Value……………………………………………... 43 The Private Market and Cultural Heritage…………………………………………... 45 Non-market Values and Cultural Economics………………………………………... 57 Theoretical Framework of Cultural Capital…………………………………………. 62 Stated Preference Techniques and Discrete Choice Modeling……………………... 64 Economics and Policy……………………………………………………………….. 70 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………… 71 CHAPTER 4: BACKGROUND TO THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC…………. 73 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 73 Environmental Factors for the Graveyard of the Atlantic…………………………… 74 Historical Background to the Graveyard of the Atlantic…………………………….. 83 Archaeology in the Graveyard of the Atlantic………………………………………. 93 Maritime Cultural Heritage along the Graveyard of the Atlantic…………………… 102 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………… 111 CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………... 112 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 112 Stage I: Reconnaissance……………………………………………………………... 117 Phase 1: Expert Panel Survey………………………………………………... 118 Phase 2: Interviews with Residents of the Outer Banks…………………….. 120 Phase 3: Review of Recreational Diving and Fishing Industry Comments…. 123 Qualitative Analysis of Phases 1, 2, and 3…………………………………... 123 Stage II: Survey Design……………………………………………………………… 124 Cover Page…………………………………………………………………... 127 Section 1: Recreation and Travel Interests…………………………………... 127 Section 2: NC Maritime History and Heritage; and Section 3: Shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic……………….......... 127 Section 4: Graveyard of the Atlantic Maritime Park (Choice Experiment)… 129 Section 5: Preservation and Management…………………………………… 142 Section 6: Demographics; Comments; and Back Page……………………… 143 Stage III: Implementation……………………………………………………………. 143 Stage IV: Analysis…………………………………………………………………… 147 Conditional Logit Model (CLM)…………………………………………….. 147 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………… 150 CHAPTER 6: QUALTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF STAGE I……………………………….. 152 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 152 Overview of Identified Themes……………………………………………………… 153 Summary of Results…………………………………………………………………. 155 Expert Panel…………………………………………………………………. 155 Resident Interviews………………………………………………………….. 160 Public Meetings……………………………………………………………… 167 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………… 174 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………… 181 CHAPTER 7: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF FINAL SURVEY INSTRUMENT……... 183 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. 183 Section 1: Response Rates, Demographics, and Travel and Recreational Behavior... 183 Response Rates………………………………………………………………. 184 Socio-Demographics………………………………………………………… 185 Travel and Recreational Behavior…………………………………………… 186 Discussion…………………………………………………………………… 193 Section 2: Awareness, Perceptions, and Interests towards Maritime Heritage and Education…………………………………………………………………………….. 197 Awareness and Perceptions: Maritime Heritage, Graveyard of the Atlantic, and Shipwrecks……………………………………………………………… 198 Public Outreach: Perceptions and Interests………………………………….. 203 Discussion…………………………………………………………………… 210 Section 3: Perceptions and Attitudes towards Preservation, Management, and Oversight…………………………………………………………………………….. 213 Preservation………………………………………………………………….. 214 Management…………………………………………………………………. 217 Oversight…………………………………………………………………….. 220 Discussion…………………………………………………………………… 222 Section 4: Results from the Choice Experiment…………………………………….. 226 Discussion……………………………………………………………………