Some Assembly Required: The Analysis and Reassembly of the Larkin Boat, a Vernacular Watercraft Recovered from Gregory Mill Creek in Liberty County, Florida

In 1996, the remains of a small wooden boat were discovered on the border of the Apalachicola National Forest in the Florida Panhandle, and were identified as a rare example of historic vernacular watercraft. The vessel was donated to the US Forest Service, and conserved by the State of Florida Research and Conservation Laboratory. Archaeological analysis of the vessel included recording of timbers and taking of lines, but expanded to included reconstruction of the preserved timbers for permanent display using a custom framing system designed to support the vessel in perpetuity. The vessel displayed characteristics commonly seen in punts, scows, and flatboats, which were common in the colonial and territorial periods. Despite similarities to other vessels seen along waterfronts and rivers, marshes and creeks along the Atlantic coast, the Larkin Boat, as it was called, is unique to Florida.