The next History & Hops free local history lecture will take place at 6:00pm on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at Seaside Brewing Company. Jerry Ostermiller will share A Tale of Two Shipwrecks: Underwater Archaeology on the Most Dangerous Bar, which introduces a 1989 discovery of a mysterious shipwreck near Sand Island at the mouth of the Columbia River. Underwater archaeology in extreme environments is inherently difficult. The Columbia River Maritime Museum and the National Park Service’s Cultural Resource Dive Team initially identified this ship as the Hudson’s Bay Company Supply Vessel Isabella. Over the next 18 years, Ostermiller conducted annual monitoring dives for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office which produced new information requiring further study, leading to a different shipwreck identity. This shipwreck has become a national case study and was featured in a National Geographic Society TV production illustrating the value of new “CSI-type” technologies.

History & Hops is a monthly series of local history discussions hosted by the Seaside Museum at Seaside Brewing Company.