YORK (NEWS CENTER Maine) - Now and then a mysterious shipwreck emerges from the sands and waters of Short Sands Beach in York.
The powerful storm that blew through at the end of last week helped reveal it again. For the past few days, it’s been the talk of the town in this coastal community.
Visitors hurried down to the beach Monday morning to catch a glimpse of the shipwreck poking out of the sand before it was too late. Soon the high tide would roll in, covering it up. Jim Giardina drove more than an hour from his New Hampshire home to be here.
“I’ve heard people talk about this ship and it shows up every once in a while. It’s never surfaced when I was around, so I made the drive up this morning when I heard it had surfaced,” he said.
The chance to see a piece of history unearthed was too tempting for some people to pass up.
“It’s awesome. I don’t know how old it is, but incredible to see it still on the sand,” said John Huppe.
“I heard it’s 170 years old. The erosion uncovered this incredible ship. Parts of it appeared petrified, petrified wood,” said Jayan Landry.
According to the Maine Historical Preservation Commission, it’s officially called the Short Sands Shipwreck. It is believed to have been built anywhere from 1750 to 1850 and was most likely used for commerce and trade.
Dan Debutts was interested in coming down with a metal detector to see if he could find any valuables near it.
“Anything, anything related to it. I’d give it right back to the town; it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
The remains have spawned a debate. Some feel historians should remove it, study it and preserve it. Others say it should remain right where it is.
“I think just leave it where it is. It adds to the mystery. Maybe able to surface when my kids are around, and they'll wonder what it was all about as well,” said Jim Giardina.
Technically it’s owned by the state, and the decision has already been made to leave it be, keeping the mystery alive whenever Mother Nature decides to reveal it.