Old Ship Breeds New Mystery On Cape Cod

Centerville Town workers unexpectedly dug up the remains of an old ship in Centerville, and now everyone is talking about it. Peaceful and pretty, Craigeville Beach holds many memories for Cape Cod residents. But a mystery about its past has recently unfolded. "I was amazed that it had never been found before," said John Jacobson, of Centerville. While digging drainage pits along the beach, town workers discovered pieces of an old ship wreck. A pile of wood is all that's left of the discovery. The town has hauled the rest away. But the pieces did give some hints as to the ship's past.State archeologists say it was likely a sailing vessel, about 100 years old. Old photos given to the local newspaper show how the wreck once sat on the shoreline. Timbers buried at Craigville Beach were found last December by town workers digging drainage pits."I knew immediately it was the old shipwreck that I had played on as a kid," said 92-year-old Laurence Bearse, of Centerville, who remembers how the ship was his personal playground. "I can remember my folks said they had heard the wreck was in the vineyard, and in one of our good storms drifted across and embedded itself in the beach there," he said. The state's underwater archeologist says the wreck does not have any historical or archeological significance. But the discovery has captured everyone's curiosity. "I'd like to find out, it is a mystery people would like to find out," said another person. The state has retrieved samples to answer some of the questions, solving a mystery over how the old ship made it to shore.