Priscilla - A Brief History
On Saturday April 7th, 1888, Elisha Saxton launched his brand new sloop Priscilla into the Patchogue River. Saxton had built Priscilla for George Rhinehart of Lawrence, NY, who named the vessel after his wife - Priscilla. From 1888 to 1963, Priscilla was owned and operated by several oystermen from Connecticut and New York. "Pris" was regarded as a fast, able, and smart boat as well as a money-maker; due in part to the fact that, unlike similar boats, she was capable of dredging equally well in both heavy and light winds.
By 1963, local oyster beds were completely exhausted or covered with silt from storms and hurricanes of decades past. Priscilla remains one of the last known working sailboats to dredge the oyster beds north of the Chesapeake Bay.
From 1963 to 1976, and after much hull and interior restoration, Priscilla functioned as a cruising sailboat. Her owner at the time, John Woodside, sailed Priscilla several times to the Bahamas and Maine. In the 1970's, he schooner-rigged her; copying the sail plan from the famous schooner America.
In 1976, Woodside donated Priscilla to the Suffolk Maritime Museum (known today as the Long Island Maritime Museum). As the largest vessel in our historic small-craft collection, Priscilla has served as an effective goodwill ambassador. Since coming to the museum; she has traveled the Great South Bay - visiting various ports of call - and has participated in special regattas held for classic vessels. In 1986, she took part in the Parade of Tall Ships at the Salute to the Statue of Liberty: 4th of July Celebration in New York Harbor - television coverage by WABC-TV.
Restoration of the sixty-foot oyster dredge began in 2002; the Long Island Maritime Museum's largest restoration project to date. Priscilla has since been returned to her original 1888 design as a gaff-rig sloop. This vessel is the oldest and only surviving workboat of the Great South Bay oyster fleet. Traditionally wood-built, her hull had been fiberglassed over during the late 1960's restoration - the same point at which she was given a schooner rig.
As her dimensions currently stand:
60' in Overall Length
40' on Deck
14' Beam
4'3" Draft
In 2006, Priscilla was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
By 1963, local oyster beds were completely exhausted or covered with silt from storms and hurricanes of decades past. Priscilla remains one of the last known working sailboats to dredge the oyster beds north of the Chesapeake Bay.
From 1963 to 1976, and after much hull and interior restoration, Priscilla functioned as a cruising sailboat. Her owner at the time, John Woodside, sailed Priscilla several times to the Bahamas and Maine. In the 1970's, he schooner-rigged her; copying the sail plan from the famous schooner America.
In 1976, Woodside donated Priscilla to the Suffolk Maritime Museum (known today as the Long Island Maritime Museum). As the largest vessel in our historic small-craft collection, Priscilla has served as an effective goodwill ambassador. Since coming to the museum; she has traveled the Great South Bay - visiting various ports of call - and has participated in special regattas held for classic vessels. In 1986, she took part in the Parade of Tall Ships at the Salute to the Statue of Liberty: 4th of July Celebration in New York Harbor - television coverage by WABC-TV.
Restoration of the sixty-foot oyster dredge began in 2002; the Long Island Maritime Museum's largest restoration project to date. Priscilla has since been returned to her original 1888 design as a gaff-rig sloop. This vessel is the oldest and only surviving workboat of the Great South Bay oyster fleet. Traditionally wood-built, her hull had been fiberglassed over during the late 1960's restoration - the same point at which she was given a schooner rig.
As her dimensions currently stand:
60' in Overall Length
40' on Deck
14' Beam
4'3" Draft
In 2006, Priscilla was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
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