Carolyn Kennedy

Biography

Research Interests

• I am a nautical archaeologist with a focus on North American maritime history. I received my Master’s and PhD from Texas A&M University’s Nautical Archaeology Program where my thesis and dissertation examined the hulls of four 19th-century steamboats in Lake Champlain, Vermont, analyzing how their designs differed and developed over the course of the century as shipbuilders sought to create the ideal hull for the novel steam propulsion.

  After graduating, I spent a year as a research associate using cutting-edge laser-scanning technology to document the disarticulated timbers from three historic shipwrecks in Alexandria, Virginia, and reconstructing the ships digitally to better understand their original design and use.

  Currently, I am co-directing the Gaspé Maritime Archaeology Project, launched in 2019, which seeks to study the maritime heritage and nautical archaeology of early European colonization and subsistence activities of eastern Québec and Canada. In addition to my interests in the historical and maritime archaeology of Canada and the United States, my research specialties and teaching interests also include public archaeology, analytical archaeology, and the conservation of archaeological materials.

Selected Publications

• • Dostal, C., G. Grieco, P. Fix, C. Kennedy, J. Herbst, L. Schultz, R. Borrero (Accepted 2020). “The Documentation and Reconstruction of an 18th-Century Wooden Ship from Alexandria, VA.” Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Sent to production 24 Jan. 2020.

  • Crisman, K., C. Kennedy and G. Schwarz (2018). “Vermont’s Steamboat Pioneer: Captain Jahaziel Sherman of Vergennes.” Vermont History, Vol. 86 (2): 125-161.