Introduction: The Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project: The Story of an Early Nineteenth-Century Wooden-Hulled Sailing Ship

Abstract

The story of the Mardi Gras Shipwreck is multifaceted and complex. From the vessel’s mysterious demise as it slipped beneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico to its initial discovery and archaeologically controlled excavation, the Mardi Gras Shipwreck is a fascinating example of the types of submerged archaeological resources that exist in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project, the subject of this thematic issue of Historical Archaeology, is an excellent example of how historical archaeology can promote the understanding of the early 19th-century maritime culture and history of the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the work conducted at the Mardi Gras Shipwreck site, formal archaeological excavations of a deep-water shipwreck in North American waters had not occurred. Today, more than nine years after the conclusion of fieldwork, the analysis and interpretation of the shipwreck and its archaeological assemblage continues. The circumstances by which the 2007 archaeological investigation occurred are a tale of challenges and successes. The project itself is a direct result of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), as amended, and the Section 106 compliance review and the regulations promulgated within the historic preservation program of the former Minerals Management Service.