Several members of the Houston Canoe Club also belong to Houston Archeological Society including Linda Gorski, Louis Aulbach, John Rich, and Robert Killian. Membership in HAS gives us the opportunity to learn about exciting archeological finds in the Houston area as well as participate in archeological digs. The more we learn the more we are able to appreciate the archeological and historical sites that can be found along our bayous, rivers and streams.

There’s a program coming up in October that we think will be of interest to members of the HCC too, especially those who sea kayak on the coast. Galveston historian and marine archeologist Andy Hall will give a presentation on Civil War blockade running on the upper Texas gulf coast at the Thursday, October 18, 2012, meeting of the Houston Archeological Society. The program, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Room 103, Anderson Hall, Building 20, The University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose, Houston, Texas 77006.

	Will o the Wisp

During the last year of the American Civil War the upper Texas coast was a hive of blockade running activity. Hall will discuss investigations into three shipwrecks including one recently exposed by Hurricane Ike that may be one of the most notorious runners of the War – the famed Will o the Wisp.

Andy Hall

Andy Hall has served as website developer on several nautical archeology projects, including the 1686 wreck of the French ship La Belle (1995-97), the Civil War blockade runner Denbigh (1997-2003), and the U-166 Project (2003). He wrote the chapter on the interface between nautical archaeology and the Internet in the International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology (2002), and has co-authored several other journal articles. Mr. Hall also serves as a Marine Archeological Steward for the Texas Historical Commission and is past president of the Southwest Underwater Archeological Society. Mr. Hall recently completed a history of the steamboat trade on Buffalo Bayou in the 19th century to be published this fall by the History Press.

For a campus map, click here and look for Building 20, Anderson Hall. Street parking is available as well as paid parking ($2) in Moran Center Garage (click for map) at the corner of West Alabama and Graustark. For more information about this program, contact lindagorski@cs.com.  

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Linda Gorski