The piece of driftwood is believed to be a piece of deck timber from a ship from the mid-to-late 1800s
Maryland State Parks said that a piece of unassuming driftwood is believed to be part of a 19th Century ship.
Officials wrote in a Facebook post that the 14.5-foot piece of timber that washed up in Assateague State Park in December is "most-likely" deck timber from a ship.
The state park, in Berlin, Maryland along the Atlantic coastline, said it contacted the Maryland Historic Trust to investigate the large piece of ocean driftwood.
"It appears that this timber is from the mid-to-late 1800s and is mostly likely deck timber with some other parts attached to it," the Maryland Historic Trust found.
Maryland State Parks officials said an unusual piece of driftwood that washed up on a state park beach was identified as a deck timber from a 19th century ship. (Maryland State Parks)
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According to the Maryland State Park authorities, the piece of deck timber is not being removed from the beach.
Waves are seen crashing to shore at the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. (Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics via Getty Images)
Officials said that they have decided instead to tag it, so it can be tracked when it is swept out to sea.
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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
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