NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE
The North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee overlooking Lake Michigan is on the National Register of Historic places. It is located in Lake Park which was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead in 1893.
Great Lakes Marine Collection-MPL/WMHS
Resources about Great Lakes Marine History
The Great Lakes Marine Historical Collections of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the Milwaukee Public Library owe their origin to Milwaukeean Herman G. Runge, who devoted 70 years to collecting and preserving information on all aspects of marine activities on the Great Lakes. Feel free to contact the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society for details about our resources about the Great Lakes marine history.
As the result of many volunteers and library staff sorting and cataloging information, in addition to the acquisition and donation of other collections of marine history, the WMHS and the library are able to offer these major research collections to the public:
Built in 1882 at Manitowoc, Wis., the BURT BARNES was a 250-ton cargo schooner that was lost on Lake Ontario in a heavy storm on Sept. 4, 1926. A crew of four was rescued. MPL / WMHS Great Lakes Marine Collection
The Eber Ward was built in 1888 at West Bay City, Mich., and sank on April 19, 1909, six miles west of Mackinaw City with the loss of five lives.
Great Lakes Vessel File
Known as Project Shipshape, this searchable database contains information on over 12,000 Great Lakes vessels, ranging from 1679 to those sailing today. These files include information on ships’ names, captains, construction and design, collisions, sinkings, related newspaper articles, and more. Over 100,000 photographs are in these files. The index to the files was made possible by matching grants from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
Milwaukee Waterways
This collection on the Milwaukee Public Library website illustrates Lake Michigan and Milwaukee’s rivers’ role in Milwaukee’s history. The city was founded at the confluence of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers, where they flow into Lake Michigan. Milwaukee’s port opened in 1835.
More than 100,000 photographs are in the collection, most from the Port of Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the library have received a matching grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program to preserve these photographs and make about 1,000 photos available online. For more information, contact WMHS.
Milwaukee Subject Files
This is an A to Z list of subjects related to the Great Lakes. Included are articles from newspapers and magazines, pamphlets, and government documents. While the index is searchable, the actual materials are available at the Central Milwaukee Public Library’s Humanities Department. For more information, contact WMHS.
John Wilterding Jr. Collection
The collection, primarily the histories of shipping fleets on the Great Lakes, was amassed by John Wilterding Jr. of Algoma, WI., and James P. Kaysen of Cedarburg, WI., and donated to the Society and the library. The collection includes shipping company histories, photographs, newspaper articles, letters, books, and more. To examine the collection, contact WMHS.
U.S. Customs Service Great Lakes Vessel Enrollment Records Database
This collection of microfilm records from the U.S. National Archives includes 58,000 enrollment records on 44,000 vessels from 1817 through 1900 and includes ship and owners’ names, design details, tonnage, home ports, and more. To access this collection, please get in touch with WMHS.
Milwaukee Lightship No. 95 shown here three miles off Milwaukee in the early 1930s. The ship’s crow’s nest on top of the mast encircled the lantern that created the light to warn vessels of their proximity to Milwaukee’s harbor.
The L. G. Powell was built in 1903 and was renamed George W. Powell in 1920-21. She was reported abandoned in 1927.
U.S. Coast Guard Documentation Records Database
This current database has information on Coast Guard-documented vessels weighing five tons and more. It is searchable by vessel name, official number or hull number. Owners are no longer listed. Previously known in book form as “Merchant Vessels of the United States” and “List of Documented Vessels.” It will note year built, vessel service, dimensions, official number, port of hail.
Canadian Great Lakes Vessels Database
This current database of Canadian vessels is searchable by vessel name, official number and vessel owner. It will note previous names, build information, general statistics, engine information and owners.
Publications and Other Resources
Many books, directories, periodicals, and other databases with detailed information on Great Lakes shipping, maritime resources, and ocean-going vessels are at the library.
Other Maritime and Genealogy Resources
Many U.S. and Canadian maritime resources are available online. These include websites specializing in contemporary commercial shipping, Great Lakes historical maritime information, maritime law, ecology, Great Lakes ports history, vessel data, ship masters, ship wrecks and divers, and genealogy.
Research Costs and Requesting Copies
Many of the Society’s and library’s databases and indexes are free and available to the public through this website. For more information on research costs and document copies, contact WMHS.
Wisconsin’s Manitowoc Harbor during the winter of 1897.