In 2010, excavators in New York's Lower Manhattan discovered buried deep in the ground the remains of a wooden ship and—according to a new study—that ship was built using timber that had been harvested from old-growth forests in southeastern Pennsylvania around 1773.

Yes, in July 2010, workers excavating the site of the former World Trade Center (Twin Towers) discovered the remains of a wooden ship buried about 20 feet below street level. Scientific analysis, including tree-ring dating (dendrochronology), revealed that the vessel was likely a sloop built in Philadelphia around 1773—the same year as the Boston Tea Party. The ship was constructed from white oak harvested in southeastern Pennsylvania. After roughly 20 to 30 years of service in the Hudson River, the ship was likely deemed "junk" and used as landfill in the late 1790s to help expand the coastline of Lower Manhattan. The discovery was significant because it provided a rare physical link to the colonial-era maritime history of New York City. In 2026, the ship's remains are a subject of study at the New York State Museum, serving as a reminder that the land on which the towers stood was once under the waters of the Hudson River.