The James A. Garfield was an American 3-masted bark

Barque

A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...

 which sunk off of the Florida gulf coast.

The Garfield transported lumber

Lumber

Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....

 and operated in and out of Apalachee Bay

Apalachee Bay

Apalachee Bay is a bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico occupying an indentation of the Florida coast to the west of where the Florida peninsula joins the United States mainland. It is bordered by Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin counties. The Aucilla, Econfina, St. Marks and Ochlocknee...

. During this time, the bay served as an anchorage for timber

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

 concerns in northern Florida and provided access to the port towns of Apalachicola

Apalachicola, Florida

Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...

, Carrabelle

Carrabelle, Florida

Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2009, the city had a population of 1,231.-Location:...

, and St. Marks. The bay also provided access to river port towns of Port Leon

Port Leon, Florida

Port Leon, Florida was a river port town located in what is now Wakulla County, Florida, which existed for only about six years in the first half of the 19th century...

 and Magnolia

Magnolia, Florida

Magnolia, Florida was a thriving river port town in southern Wakulla County, Florida, established in the 1820s and is classified as an "extinct city" by the State Library and Archives of Florida....

.

On August 1 1899, the 2nd hurricane of the season struck St. George Island and the Apalachee Bay area causing massive damage to some 15 ships moored at Dog Island, Florida. The Garfield remained intact with cargo still on-board but was beached and surrounded by several other hulls of wrecks making it economically unfeasible to refloat the ship.