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Beneath The Surface: A Deep Dive Into Connecticut Shipwrecks

Searching for sunken treasure? The Long Island Sound is hardly the place to look.

But what can be found in its murky waters are ample remains of Connecticut's once prominent shipping industry, and perhaps evidence of early Native American villages from around 20,000 years ago when the Sound was a glacial lake.

Today, we survey shipwrecks and other bits of history resting off Connecticut's coast, as well as at the bottom of some lakes and rivers.

From dugout canoes and mastodon molars to the more than two dozen ships set ablaze in Essex harbor during the War of 1812, it's an underwater adventure not to be missed.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

  • Nicholas Bellantoni - Emeritus Connecticut State Archaeologist who has investigated shipwrecks in Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River
  • Christopher Goodwin - President and CEO of R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, which was contracted by the State Historic Preservation Office to survey shipwrecks along the Connecticut coast
  • Kevin McBride - University of Connecticut archaeology professor specializing in the Native American history of Connecticut, and former Director of Research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum

Special thanks goes to the Connecticut River Museum for hosting this discussion, as well as Betsy Kaplan, Larry Roeming, Carolyn McCusker, and Jesse Steinmetz.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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