The Florida Department of Transportation said people were working on a drainage improvement project in the area of King Street and State Road A1A, at the base of the Bridge of Lions in downtown St. Augustine, when they came across some timber.

They soon discovered the timber was part of a well-preserved wooden ship measuring about 20 feet long.

Southeastern Archaeological Research (SEARCH) had been contracted before the start of the project to handle any historical discoveries.

SEARCH is now working on exhuming the boat, which SEARCH Vice President James Delgado told First Coast News “has the characteristics of a locally built craft, most likely used in fishing or maybe general carrying trade”.

Delgado said the team has also found other objects at the site, including an old leather shoe.

“We’ve seen fragments of old ceramics containers, bottles, rusty bits of iron, as well as cuts of bone, possibly from someone’s chops they had for dinner. They may have just scraped the plate into the water,” Delgado said.