Antique Ships Found Buried Beneath Paved Lot

You never know what's right underneath your neighborhood sidewalk. Construction workers recently uncovered the remains of 19th-century boats near Candlestick Park, according to the Gate.

The boats likely transported hay, salt, construction equipment, and fuel, and were buried in what was once a lagoon that fed into the bay. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission plans to turn the area into a sewage overflow pipe, dumping raw sewage into the bay when the sanitation system is overwhelmed.

Many boats were abandoned in San Francisco during the 1800s. One rumor about Candlestick Point -- possibly false -- is that it got its name from the nocturnal burning of boats by owners who no longer needed them.

The ships will be destroyed, since it's too expensive to salvage them.

It's not the first time that construction workers have unearthed lost treasures. Workers on the new Transbay Terminal got a shock recently when they found a trove of buried antiques.

Many of the items date back about a hundred and fifty years, and they paint a hazy picture of life in the little seacoast village that had until then been known as Yerba Buena. It's a little piece of the Gold Rush, frozen in the dirt.

Liquor bottles seem to dominate the findings, but there are also tents, dolls, and home furnishings, according to the Examiner.

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