A piece of the past has washed up on the shores of New Jersey, bringing with it the story of a ship that sank 136 years ago. The remnants of the Lawrence N. McKenzie, a 98-foot schooner, were discovered at Island Beach State Park in Ocean County after being eroded out of the ocean by weeks of fierce wind and waves.
The schooner was on its way from Puerto Rico to New York City when it ran into trouble in a thick fog near Barnegat. Despite its crew's survival, the vessel has been missing since March 21, 1890, leaving behind only memories of the tragedy that befell it.
According to reports at the time, the captain of the ship, Lawrence McKenzie, claimed there was six feet of water in the hold, suggesting that the wreck may have occurred under mysterious circumstances. Built in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1883, the schooner had previously docked in Provincetown before its ill-fated voyage.
Park officials are now carefully monitoring the site and asking visitors to exercise respect for the relics that remain, as they cannot be moved or touched.
The schooner was on its way from Puerto Rico to New York City when it ran into trouble in a thick fog near Barnegat. Despite its crew's survival, the vessel has been missing since March 21, 1890, leaving behind only memories of the tragedy that befell it.
According to reports at the time, the captain of the ship, Lawrence McKenzie, claimed there was six feet of water in the hold, suggesting that the wreck may have occurred under mysterious circumstances. Built in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1883, the schooner had previously docked in Provincetown before its ill-fated voyage.
Park officials are now carefully monitoring the site and asking visitors to exercise respect for the relics that remain, as they cannot be moved or touched.
This is wild - I mean, can you imagine sailing on a ship that's over 140 years old? It's crazy how one storm can leave behind a piece of history like this. The fact that there was only six feet of water in the hold makes me think something might've gone down in a way we don't know about yet... all these years later. 
And it's wild to think about the captain's words being so prophetic, or at least, they must have been at the time. Anyway, it's always fascinating to learn about these types of discoveries and how they give us a glimpse into our past. 
. And can you imagine being on that ship with your crew, only to get caught in a thick fog and never make it back? It's heartbreaking thinking about all those lives lost 
. I'm glad park officials are handling this discovery with care; we want to honor the memories of those who were on board 
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this is giving me all these thoughts and i'm not even sure where to start
... it's crazy how much has changed since then. but yeah, poor crew of the Lawrence N. McKenzie 
. we should all just take a sec to appreciate how lucky we are to have these things still intact 
. btw, island beach state park sounds like an awesome place to visit 
what even was going on back then?