NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 Modesty (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: Modesty Other Name/Site Number: Long Island Sound Scallop and Oyster Dredging "south-sider" Sloop Modesty 2. LOCATION Street & Number: Waterfront, Long Island Maritime Museum, 84 West Avenue Not for publication: N/A City/Town: West Sayville Vicinity: N/A State: NY County: Suffolk Code: 103 Zip Code: 11796 3.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 0 Total Number of Contributing Resources Previously Listed in the National Register: 0 Name of Related Multiple Property Listing: N/A NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 Modesty (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) OMB No. 1024-0018 Modesty (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 Describe Present and Historic Physical Appearance1 Modesty is a classic Long Island Sound "south-sider" shellfish dredging sloop, home-ported in West Sayville, New York. She was built in 1923 at the Wood & Chute Shipyard, Greenport, New York. Modesty is 35 feet, 9 inches long, with a 12-foot, 2-inch-maximum beam, and a 2- foot, 8-inch draft.2 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. Modesty is believed to be the last commercial, sailing work boat build on Long Island Sound. Hull Modesty has a round-bottomed hull, with a centerboard, clipper-type bow, and rounded-wine­ glass-shaped counter stern. Modesty exhibits the low freeboard necessary for the hauling of heavy dredges onboard. The stem is made from a natural knee of hackmatack. Oak transverse frames steamed into place run full from the strake. Fourteen cedar planks are screw fastened on each side. Deck beams are oak. The centerboard trunk is made from cypress bed logs and sugar pine sides. The centerboard can be raised by a line attached through a pulley set on the end of a 48-inch-long wooden arm on the deckjust aft of the cabin. The bowsprit is 10 feet long, and at the bow end, measures 7 inches long, 5% inches wide at the top, and beveled to 3% inches at the bottom. The bevel begins 3 inches from the top and is 3% inches wide on each side. The 1 The description below is based on a site visit made by Eshelman on 26 September 1993 and line drawings believed to be prepared by Philip Shelton. Eshelman's notes are on file at the National Maritime Initiative office in Washington, D.C.; there are several copies of line drawings of Modesty in the files of the Long Island Maritime Museum. 2 These are the measurements given for Modesty prior to her 1980 renovation. Measurements taken in 1981 are length, 36 feet; beam, 13 feet, 2 inches; and draft, 2 feet, 3 inches. NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 Modesty (sloop) Page 4 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service__________________________________________National Register of Historic Places Registration Form bowsprit is 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep at its maximum dimension where it intersects with the stem. It tapers fore and aft from this point. The bowsprit is painted white except for a natural section running from 13 inches aft of the tip and continuing aft another 36 inches. A very crudely carved bird head is attached to the billet. The beak is white and the tongue red. There is evidence that it was gold gilded at one point. It is reputed to be carved by an "old timer" in the Wood & Chute yard and possibly represents a gannet.3 The hull is painted white with a red bottom from the waterline down. The name Modesty is painted in black letters along the upper bow portion of the hull. "New York" is painted in black on the stern. Deck The king plank is 1272-inch-wide oak, extending from the stem to the hatch coaming behind the mast. Covering boards above the sheer strake are cedar seated in bedding compound. Decking is fore and aft, is l 5/s-inch-edge grain Douglas fir, 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 post is 37/s inches long, 5 % inches wide, and 19 inches high. Cabin and hatch coamings are of oak drifted to the deck beams. Hatches are of cedar, while cabin planking is of 2-inch pine. The rail cap runs completely around the deck and is 6 inches off the deck, 4 inches wide, and 1% inches thick. The first three stanchions on each side from the bow aft are wooden, sided 2 inches. The remaining stanchions are bronze pipe set on approximately 30-inch centers. The hatch coaming is 108 inches wide and 104 inches long at the aft end, forward end rounded, and 4V2 inches high. The hatch cover is made of six planks, three on each side of the centerboard truck, each 101 inches long and 672 inches wide. The cabin trunk is 11 inches aft of the hatch, 11172 inches wide at the forward end and 81 inches wide at aft end, 96 inches long, and 23 inches high. On each side of the cabin is a 1672-inch-long and 9-inch-high opening covered by a sliding door of the same size; there is no glass covering. The companion way, located on the aft end of the cabin trunk is 30 inches wide, 26 inches long, and 20 inches high. Three removable planks form the vertical opening and a sliding hatch fit into wooden groves on top of the cabin and open by sliding forward, covering the horizontal portion of the companion way. The engine is housed within this cabin. Rig Modesty carries a gaff-rig sail plan. The mast is a single-trimmed pine tree measuring 9 inches in diameter at the deck and is located 32 inches aft of the king post and 9H inches forward of the hatch. The mast is stepped through the king plank and into an oak box framing fastened to the keel. The mast is painted white along the upper one third and the rest left natural. Standing rigging consists of three wire galvanized shrouds with spreaders. Tension is controlled by deadeyes. There is a forestay and jibstay, which are wire. The boom is 30 feet, 4 72 inches long; the gaff, 23 feet, 3 inches long; and the jib club, 138 inches long. The mast carries wooden hoops for fastening the sail. The original canvas sails have been replaced with Dacron. There are two chain bowsprit shrouds to a side and one chain and one wire bobstay. 3 Notes made by Theodore Haupt, first owner of Modesty, between 1973 and 1977 on drawing of Modesty by H.C. Adamson drawn in 1973. Original in vertical files of Long Island Maritime Museum; copy in files of National Maritime Initiative. NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 Modesty (sloop) Page 5 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service__________________________________________National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Changes in Physical Appearance The Long Island Maritime Museum acquired Modesty in 1974 in good condition; but, because of hogging and alterations made over the years, the museum began restoration of the vessel in 1975 and re-launched her in 1980. Because there were no known building plans or half model of Modesty, boatbuilder Philip Shelton documented her appearance before work began to ensure accuracy of the restoration. He also supervised the building crew. Restoration was conducted using the techniques of her original construction and in accordance with these plans.