The Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck site: a case study for evaluating and managing historic shipwrecks

摘要

While discovery and exploration of internationally recognized maritime heritage sites naturally attracts attention, management of these quasi-public, multicultural resources is seldom easy. Using economic models developed for public resources as an analytical tool, North Carolina shipwreck 31CR314, believed to be Queen Anne's Revenge, will be examined and discussed. This heritage site associated with the internationally recognized historic figure, Edward Teach, aka "Blackbeard", is an important, highly visible, state-held resource, which holds implications for many people. The site has been a challenge for managers charged with allocating its use. The central objective of this paper is to identify key interest groups and the way they value the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck site. Three basic management options for this public resource will be examined through cost-benefit analysis and the affects each have on the various interest groups. In this manner, state archaeologists have begun to develop a means to measure and optimize the allocation of one of North Carolina's most important cultural resources.