‘I did not expect to find a shipwreck!’ says boy whose treasure is being excavated

During a family trip to Point Farms Provincial Park north of Goderich, Ont., in 2023, Lucas Atchison stumbled upon a remarkable discovery while using a metal detector he received as a gift for his birthday. The 10-year-old boy was scanning the beach when the detector suddenly signaled a hit. Intrigued, Lucas started digging and unearthed what appeared to be an old spike from a shipwreck.

Initially, Lucas’s dad, Jason Atchison, thought the spike might have been used for tying up boats. However, as they continued to dig, they uncovered more spikes attached to wood. It was then that Lucas and his father realized they had stumbled upon a shipwreck. The young boy was thrilled by the unexpected find, exclaiming, “When I woke up that morning, I did not expect to find a shipwreck!”

The Atchisons reported their discovery to provincial park staff and reached out to the Ontario Marine Heritage Committee (OMHC), a volunteer group dedicated to preserving marine history. With the help of the OMHC, excavation work on the shipwreck began, with Lucas eagerly observing the process.

Scarlett Janusas, a marine archaeologist with the OMHC, explained that the piece of the wreck Lucas found was likely from a schooner, a two-masted sailing ship. The team of volunteers meticulously excavated the site, uncovering wooden frames from the side of the ship. Despite only finding a small portion of the wreck, the team determined that it was a well-built schooner.

While the identity of the ship could not be definitively determined due to the limited remains, marine historian Patrick Folkes suggested that it could be the schooner St. Anthony, which was wrecked in 1856 near Goderich while carrying a load of grain from Chicago to Buffalo, New York.

The volunteers meticulously documented the wreck, creating scale drawings including plan and profile views. These drawings, along with details such as the number and placement of fasteners, will help determine the age of the ship.

Surprisingly, the next step in the process involves reburial of the ship to preserve it. The volunteers will fill the hole back in, creating an anaerobic environment that will protect the wreckage from decay for at least another 50 years.

The Atchisons, along with the volunteers from the OMHC, were thrilled to have been a part of this exciting discovery and preservation effort. The shipwreck at Point Farms Provincial Park will now serve as a tangible link to the region’s maritime history for years to come.