It’s always exciting to find intact, recognizable remnants of long-ago times, particularly because most finds such as this happen only once in a lifetime.
Such a moment occurred in Biddeford back in 1986 when Aldo Pulito and his son Paul were walking along the beach in Biddeford Pool, near their summer cottage. They happened upon a large piece of wood, which after much digging revealed itself to be a boat ”“ a canoe, in fact, estimated to date back to the 18th century.
Local interest was high when the artifact was extracted, according to news reports and memories of the time, but once the canoe was sent off for restoration, it seems the excitement faded once it was out of sight, out of mind.
The company to which it was shipped for restoration, Archaeological Conservation Laboratory in Massachusetts, never did the work, and eventually the business folded and its founder died. All in all, it’s been 27 years since the canoe was extracted, and it has sat waiting at Plymouth Plantation to be rediscovered ”“ this time in a storage crate instead of buried in sand and clay.
It’s unfortunate that the canoe has been forgotten for so many years because it is a rare and unique find, a specimen of a long-ago time that speaks to the history of this coastal area. This dugout canoe is reportedly well preserved, constructed of a single timber and has evidence of metal carvings, which historians link to the European settlers of the 18th century.
Historic artifacts belong in their area of origin because they are pieces of a puzzle that come together to tell the story of the people in that place. Those settlers forever changed the face of this land, fighting the natives and building the villages that would eventually become the mill cities that many of us now call home. Their history is our history, and nothing makes history real more than tangible objects ”“ especially ones that are preserved well enough to look and feel like the real thing.
The canoe is also deteriorating while it sits, since no preservation or restoration work was ever completed, which is making it less valuable over time. It would truly be a shame for this archaeological find to have been painstakingly dug up nearly 30 years ago only to be left to rot far from its final resting place.
The York Institute, now the Saco Museum, was involved in the excavation effort when the canoe was discovered, and we’d like to see them involved again, joining with McArthur Public Library Director Jeff Cabral to promote the fundraising that will pay for the canoe’s restoration and its return to Biddeford-Saco.
A museum exhibit about the canoe’s discovery, excavation and the restoration process would be a great way to renew interest in this exciting find and raise the money to bring this piece of history back to southern Maine, where locals can connect with the past that made these cities what they are today.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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