In the mid-1980s, 30 dug out canoes were discovered in Lake Phelps. Of these, 23 were investigated and recorded in detail. All are made of bald cypress and their dates range over 4,000 years by radiocarbon dating. Four of the canoes were recovered from the lake, treated with sucrose and on display by the late 1980s. The history of the conservation of the Lake Phelps canoes since 1985 is the subject of this talk, with a focus on two of the recovered canoes. A survey found that they were in poor condition; the talk will describe investigations leading to their retreatment.
