Abandoned Shipwrecks Act particular case of the salvage of the "Nuestra Señora de Atocha", an historic and culturally significant wreck off the coast of Florida, in which the State of Florida was unable to prevent illegal salvage operations due to a lack of a suitable law that would disallow it, spurred action at the federal level to address the situation. On April 29, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill (Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100-298, 102 Stat. 432) into law. The law provides that any wreck that lies embedded in a state's submerged lands is property of that state and
Benwood, West Virginia once home to three churches of different religious denominations. Of the three churches, two remain in operation. Saint John Roman Catholic Church Saint John Roman Catholic Church, located at 622 Main Street in Center Benwood, was officially established as a parish on August 1, 1875 when the first resident pastor, Rev. Patrick F. McKernan, was appointed to serve the Roman Catholic residents of Benwood. Prior to 1875, the original church, which had been constructed about 1868 and was dedicated to Saint John, was served by visiting priests from surrounding parishes. The original church was damaged in the Ohio River Flood