WHAT'S A STICK LIGHTER?

The stick lighter MARICOPA was built in 1923, near the end of the era of wooden barges.

She served her entire career in New York Harbor, part of the fleet of largely undocumented lighterage vessels critical to the area’s economy.

The MARICOPA was abandoned on the shores of Perth Amboy. She was documented in 2005 prior to her removal.

Megan Springate, Archaeologist, described the MARICOPA's history and documentation, and the role of stick lighters in the economy of New York City. Megan a commercial archeologist and the author of “Steamboats in Monmouth County: A Gazetteer” published by the Monmouth County Historical Association in 2006.