A recent East Coast storm has revealed what may be the remains of a 19th-century shipwreck buried along Nantucket Island’s southern shore. The exposed wooden timbers, fastened with rusted iron, were uncovered last weekend on a stretch of beach near the town’s wastewater treatment facility, an area locally known as the “Sewer Beds.”

Maritime experts from the Egan Maritime Institute on Nantucket are investigating whether the exposed wreckage could belong to the Warren Sawyer, a wooden schooner that ran aground on Miacomet Beach in 1884. The institute’s exhibits and collections manager, together with state underwater archaeologists, are working to confirm the vessel’s identity.

The Warren Sawyer was en route from New Orleans to Boston carrying 1,115 bales of cotton and 28 tons of scrap iron when it ran aground on December 22, 1884, according to the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. The captain and crew of seven were rescued, and the ship remained largely intact on the beach for two weeks, allowing island residents to salvage about 700 bales of cotton. A subsequent storm on January 6, 1885, broke apart the vessel, scattering wreckage and cargo along more than half a mile of shoreline.

The ship’s remains have periodically reappeared over the decades, due to natural erosion and shifting sands. State archaeologists previously examined a roughly 42-foot section of hull exposed in late 2022, which they believed was consistent with the Warren Sawyer. Another 15-foot-square portion of the vessel’s stern surfaced in February 2023 but was later reburied before further documentation could be completed.

Local resident and Nantucket Current editor Jason Graziadei encountered the newly exposed timbers after receiving a tip about the wreckage. Accompanied by his eight-year-old son, he visited the beach amid heavy winds to find a steep drop-off formed by erosion. The exposed wreckage was situated beneath a route where beachgoers had driven throughout the summer, leading Graziadei to note the unusual proximity of the ship’s remains to recent recreational activity.

Nantucket is known as one of the Atlantic’s “graveyards,” with over 750 shipwrecks estimated in nearby waters. Officials from the maritime institute have urged the public to refrain from disturbing the exposed timbers. Under state law, removing or damaging underwater archaeological resources is prohibited to preserve these historically significant sites.