Date & Time
Price FREE
Venue
History of Diving Museum
82990 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
GET DIRECTIONS
Phone Number 305.664.9737
RSVP to attend in-person here: https://forms.gle/LM8cVwdAHuVbqGca9
Or register for a virtual Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoduCoqD4vGtcFXlUo7Qz9IxVVx1pc3TR8
Gold fever was erupting across the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. The California Gold Rush had enticed hordes of miners hoping to strike it rich. During this boom, America’s economy quickly became reliant on the continuous flow of this new capital and the popular mode of transportation for the precious cargo was the steamship. The side-wheel steamer SS George Law, later renamed the SS Central America, was built to move gold in continuous service on the Atlantic leg of the Panama Route. In 1856, yellow fever was raging in Havana and the ship was diverted to Key West for coal refueling. Not long after her Key West stop, the ship sank in a hurricane off the South Carolina coast, carrying over $2 million in California gold.
Dr. Brian Magrane is an Islamorada-based physician and author of “Tortugas Deep-Sea: The Story of a Merchant Ship,” and an avid shipwreck coin collector. He became fascinated with Florida’s sunken treasures and has been involved in maritime heritage projects and shipwreck treasure research. Join Dr. Magrane as he takes us through the fascinating history and tragic demise of the “Ship of Gold.”
Thank you to this months sponsors: the Newton Family.
