BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (19 Oct 2003) -- More than a century has passed since the British sailing ship Lofthus ran aground north of the Boynton Beach Inlet, and earlier this month state authorities officially declared the shipwreck Palm Beach County's first underwater archaeological preserve. Now the responsibility shifts to local residents to choose a date for the dedication and celebration, and proceed with long-term plans. "We have done our part," said Roger Smith, state underwater archaeologist for the Bureau of Archaeological Research in Tallahassee who visited Boynton Beach on Oct. 1, toting the 18-by-24-foot bronze plaque bearing the shipwreck's name. "Now, we need help from local citizens." The 10,800-square-foot park is less than a mile north of the Boynton Beach Inlet, 175 yards off shore in 15 to 20 feet of Atlantic Ocean. State officials think it will draw thousands of divers to explore the wreck. "It is an official state attraction. It will definitely add value to the area. I hope it will create a diving market here," said Delray Beach native Lou Frazier, 44, a board member of the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce who attended the community meeting. The meeting at the Boynton Beach City Library attracted about 25 divers, history buffs, curious residents, chamber of commerce members and city officials. "We need divers and logistical support to drop the plaque at the shipwreck site," said Della Scott, state underwater archaeologist from Tallahassee who is helping Smith coordinate the project. "We have received all the permits from the state and the Corps of Engineers. "We need local folks to come up with when, where and who should be involved. We also need to decide on a land-based exhibit." Almost everyone at the meeting agreed to take part. "It all sounds interesting," said Bonnie McCrane of Boynton Beach, who attended with her husband, John McCrane, a recreational diver. Pete Kendrigan, one of the divers responsible for digging up the history on the wreck, suggested a February date to lower the plaque since it coincides with the anniversary of the shipwreck. | | The 222-foot Lofthus, built in England in 1868, sailed as a cargo vessel under a Norwegian flag. The ship wrecked during a trip from Pensacola to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb. 4, 1898. Loaded with lumber, it ran aground when a storm pushed it into shallow water and sand near the beach. The crew of 16 men was saved. Kendrigan, 66, of Boynton Beach, was one of 10 divers from Palm Beach and Broward counties who volunteered to measure, map and photograph the ghost ship once it was discovered by local divers after a hurricane in 1998. Shifting sands uncovered the ship, which had been hidden on the sand bottom for decades. The dive buddies call themselves Marine Archaeological Research & Conservation Reporting. The divers spent almost six months searching for clues about the ship's origin with the help of the Maritime Archaeological & Historical Society in Washington, D.C. "We measured the ship and put together a site plan. We talked to locals who have lived here for a long time," Kendrigan said. "The captain of the ship gave my family some knickknacks, " said Harvey Oyer Jr., 35, president of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. The divers presented their research and photos to the state and encouraged officials to consider the wreck as a candidate for the state's underwater park system. The preserve system was created in 1987 to promote tourism and increase awareness of the state's maritime history. The state has eight official underwater archaeological preserves. State officials came to Boynton Beach in March to talk about the park system at a public meeting. They asked residents to submit letters of support for Lofthus Park. "We had all positive replies," Scott said. "We decided to proceed with the park." Betty Thomas of the city's park and recreation department, a board member of the Boynton Beach Historical Society and an active supporter of the Boynton Beach Schoolhouse Children's Museum, suggested that the land exhibit be housed there. "The exhibit would look good at the museum," Thomas said. Locals are asked to donate artifacts that may have been collected from the ship throughout the decades for the exhibit. 
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