James A. Garfield (ship)

James A. Garfield (center) after the hurricane.

James A. Garfield was an American three-masted bark which was wrecked on the Gulf coast of Florida.

James A. Garfield transported lumber and operated in and out of Apalachee Bay. During this time, the bay served as an anchorage for timber concerns in northern Florida and provided access to the port towns of Apalachicola, Carrabelle, and St. Marks. The bay also provided access to the river port towns of Port Leon and Magnolia.

On August 1, 1899, the 2nd hurricane of the season struck St. George Island and the Apalachee Bay area, causing massive damage to some 15 ships moored at Dog Island, Florida.[1][2] James A. Garfield remained intact with cargo still aboard but was beached and surrounded by other wrecks, making it economically unfeasible to refloat her.

  1. ^ PhD dissertation, Christopher Horrell, Florida State University, Chapter 5 Archived 2011-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Meide et al. 2000 Dog Island Shipwreck Survey 1999: Report of Historical and Archaeological Investigations, FSU Program in Underwater Archaeology Research Reports No. 4 (Can be viewed or downloaded as a pdf)