Three 18th Century Tall Ships found in Old Town Alexandria

Back in 2015 a construction crew, working on a new hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, uncovered the remains of a Revolutionary War era ship. It was buried in the mud of the Potomac River as part of the framework for the landfill process used to extend the waterfront.

Just recently, only one block down, another contraction crew uncover 3 more wooden ship used as land fill. The original ships were built in the 1740's and 50 years later, at the end of their usefulness, those ships were used to to create more real estate on the shoreline.

Many coastal cities, such as San Francisco, have used ships as landfill.  During the gold rush of 1849, many of the crews that brought passengers to the golden state decided to try their luck in the gold fields instead of sailing, so many ships were abandoned. Some were used as warehouses, saloons, and hotels before being sunk intentionally.  As an owner of a ship you could sink it, cover it with dirt and claim that land as yours. This sounds like something a land pirate would do, yarrr!