During the 1978 construction of Levi Plaza, workmen unearthed the remains of a sailing ship with a length of one hundred feet and a beam of thirty feet. Historians think that the ship is either the Palmyra or the William Gray.

Levi Strauss financed archaeological excavations and commissioned plans for a facility to preserve and exhibit the ship; however, the company abandoned preservation plans and chose instead to leave the ship buried beneath the plaza.

Ron Filion has drawn a fascinating map comparing the shoreline of San Francisco at the beginning of the Gold Rush to the shoreline today. The map shows the resting places of the many piers and ships buried beneath the Financial District and the North Waterfront.

Mr. Filion's San Francisco History website is an excellent resource for students of San Francisco histroy.