click zoom to display a high-res image
Summary
Lumberman Shipwreck
Lake Michigan, Milwaukee County
Builder: Allyne Litchfield
Date of construction: 1862
The remains of the schooner Lumberman lie in 55 feet of water in Lake Michigan four miles east of Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Built in 1862 in the remote, frontier shipyard of Allyne Litchfield in Blendon's Landing, Michigan, the Lumberman was built specifically for transportation of lumber products. The three-masted, double centerboard schooner Lumberman sank in a fast moving Lake Michigan storm on 6 April 1893. Although much of the ship's equipment and the crew's personal effect have been salvaged by divers, the Lumberman is remarkably intact and provides historians and archaeologists the unique opportunity to study construction techniques on this unique vessel type. Built specifically for the Lake Michigan lumber trade, today it is unknown why some builders equipped their vessels with double centerboards while the majority of Great Lakes builders installed only one. Little documentation exists in the historic record regarding double centerboard schooners, and the Lumberman is one of only four double centerboard schooners known to exist in Wisconsin waters, making her an important archaeological resource.
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this shipwreck site. Removing, defacing, displacing or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin's historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks website.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or have other questions about the registers, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Address Restricted
100009414
Located in Town of Liberty Grove, Door County
0.5 miles southeast of the entrance of the Baileys Harbor marina, in Baileys Harbor, Lake Michigan
100009197
Located in Town of Baileys Harbor, Door County
0.45 miles E of Whistling Straights Golf Course, in Lake Michigan
100004377
Located in Town of Mosel, Sheboygan County
7 miles northeast of Sheboygan in Lake Michigan
13000128
Located in Town of Mosel, Sheboygan County
9.5 miles south of the Sheboygan Harbor entrance, in Lake Michigan
100009104
Located in Town of Holland, Sheboygan County
