The Dummett Freighter: A nineteenth-century log sailing canoe from northeastern Florida

Abstract

This article provides a comparative physical and cultural study of a cypress log sailing canoe and the plantation culture of nineteenth-century north-eastern Florida that created it. The author makes the argument that this and other vessels of similar construction represent a typology of log boat construction that was limited to Florida’s north-east during the mid- to late nineteenth century. These vessels evolved to provide a means of commerce between the settlements along the rivers and estuaries of north-eastern Florida. Those vessels that remain provide an important historic link with early American settlers.