Did you know that the ground we walk on every day might be held up by a 300-year-old ship? Join us to learn about how changes to the landscape led to wooden ships being recycled to build 18th and 19th-century ports like New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. When Europeans endeavored to colonize North America, they entered densely forested areas rich with arboreal resources that had been sustainably managed and used by Indigenous peoples for millennia. Colonial hunger for timber as well as the impetus to clear land for agriculture radically changed those landscapes as the once-abundant forests were rapidly thinned. As Colonial and Early Republic-period port cities grew and became more abundant, the need for resources began to outweigh what was locally available, forcing city-dwellers to find some creative solutions to meet their needs, in some cases looking to the water for new sources of wood.

About the Speaker: Chelsea M. Cohen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania with a background in maritime archaeology, paleoethnobotany, and historical GIS. Her dissertation research focuses on the relationship between port urbanization and the colonization of the North American landscape under British colonialism, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to her work in the Middle Atlantic, she works broadly on ship archaeology and the paleoethnobotany of Transatlantic foodways. When not working, she can usually be found crafting under a massive blanket and engaging in long, one-sided conversations with her dog.

This event will be held at National Mechanics, located at 22 S 3rd St Philadelphia, PA. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are not required for this event.