J Street Wreck
Why it's listed
Beneath about 30 feet of water at the foot of J Street in Sacramento lies a wooden shipwreck that may be the brig Sterling, built in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 1833. The copper-sheathed vessel, roughly 88 feet long, worked the coastal trade between Boston and Philadelphia before sailing around Cape Horn to San Francisco in 1849, the first vessel to leave Beverly for the gold fields. She then moved up the Sacramento River and was converted to a floating warehouse, one of about thirty storeships moored off the city. After sinking in 1855, she was partly broken up by contractors hired by the city, and the remains were later covered by rip-rap placed in 1914. About 44 feet of the hull is visible, with a stem, chainplates, hawse pipes and a mast stub. A second, burned river craft lies on top and is not counted as significant. Researchers see potential to study early shipbuilding methods and Gold Rush cargo.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues national significance through the wreck's link to the California Gold Rush, when the vessel served as a Sacramento storeship. About 60% of the hull is said to survive, making it a good example of early 19th century coastal sailing craft design. Its hull and interior deposits could yield information on shipbuilding and on goods reaching the gold fields.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91000562, listed May 16, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | At the foot of J St., in the Sacramento R., Sacramento |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County |
| Listed | May 16, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000562 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1849-1855 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel A. Frazar of Duxbury, Massachusetts (builder of the brig Sterling, 1833) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Transportation, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Wreck lies submerged and partly buried under rip-rap; function listed as vacant, not in use. Identity as Sterling is not conclusively established. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | Old Sacramento Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.58367, -121.50625 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91000562.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.