Sometime in the mid 1800’s an oak tree was felled in northern Ohio. Lacking chain saws or other powered saws, the lumber jacks squared up the tree to 16″ X 30′ – by hand with axe and adze. They then floated and shipped the wood to a shipyard in Charlestown, Boston. Intentionally buried in the marshy muck to “pickle” with other lumber of similar type, the yard went out of business, presumably because the advent of steam ships was the death knell to wooden sailing ships.
The wood was forgotten and lay buried under a parking lot until recently. As foundations were being dug for a building, a treasure house of old oak was unearthed. Mystic Seaport acquired much of it and has been kind enough to share this with Dorade for her stern post. Cut almost 160 years ago and destined for some wooden ship that was never built, it has found a home in Dorade.
~This story is second hand and subject to memory recall. As such, it may be changed to reflect actual facts~