History on the Shore
The vibes are lowkey ghostly on Nantucket right now. As a violent nor’easter hammered the East Coast this weekend, the massive waves didn't just cause chaos—they actually uncovered a piece of a 19th-century shipwreck buried in the sand.
Video shared by the Nantucket Current shows a pallet of waterlogged timber, held together by rusted nails and seaweed, sitting on the island's south shore. Experts believe the remains belong to the Warren Sawyer, a schooner that crashed into Miacomet Beach back in December 1884 while heading to New Orleans. Scientists have been tracking this wreck for a while; pieces of it first popped up in 2022, though researchers have struggled to confirm the identity due to some sketchy records regarding the ship's original hardware. Massachusetts Archeologist David Robinson called the research process "like pulling a thread on a sweater."
The Storm’s Impact
Real talk: this nor’easter is no joke. The storm has been tearing through the eastern seaboard from Massachusetts to Delaware, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Thousands of people across multiple states are currently dealing with power outages, with over 27,600 customers in New York alone left in the dark early Sunday morning.
Tragically, the weather has turned deadly. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority worker, died Saturday after a tree fell on him at the Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn. Additionally, New York State Police are searching for a missing swimmer who disappeared off the coast of Robert Moses State Park on Saturday afternoon.
What this means for you
If you live in the Northeast, the storm is highkey dangerous. Beyond the cool history lesson on the beach, the extreme weather is causing major power issues and hazardous conditions. If you’re near the coast, stay out of the water—the currents are erratic and the plot thickens with every new weather report. Keep an eye on local power grids and stay safe until things settle down.
