By Carl Eisenberg
Manitowoc is an easy, hour-long ride north of Milwaukee, Wis., and just north of downtown Manitowoc is the Historic Shipwreck Marker for the Steam Barge FRANCIS HINTON.
The marker is on display next to a rocky shoreline about one-half mile north of Waldo Blvd. on State Highway 42. It is alongside the Mariners Trail path that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan about seven miles from Manitowoc to Two Rivers. There is roadside parking near the marker. Another one-half mile farther north, also on the east side of State Highway 42, is the West of the Lake Gardens, and, of course, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is in Manitowoc.
The FRANCIS HINTON was built in 1889 in Manitowoc for the lumber trade by Danish immigrants Jasper Hanson and Hans Scove. The FRANCIS HINTON was a wooden ship 152.2 feet long with a beam of 30.9 feet with steam screw propulsion.
Twenty years later, in a gale on Nov.16, 1909, the FRANCIS HINTON started taking on water and lost power. An anchor was lowered but the high seas crashed into the ship and the anchor line was cut in the hope that the ship would drift toward shore. The Two Rivers Lifesaving crew determined that the seas were too rough to attempt a rescue.
When the ship ran aground in Maritime Bay, the captain and the eleven man crew used a small boat and all made it to shore safely. Items were removed from the beached vessel the next day. The FRANCIS HINTON subsequently broke up in shallow water only to be discovered in 1987 in 15 feet of water by sport divers. There is a seasonal buoy attached to the wreck by the Wisconsin Historical Society to aid divers.
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After visiting the marker site, a visit to the West of the Lake Gardens was delightful. There are ten different gardens located on this estate. It is owned and operated by the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc. Parking and admission are free. John and Ruth West started developing the garden in 1934 and the Foundation has operated it since John died in 1989 and Ruth in 1990. The West family is connected to the Manitowoc Company which has interesting connections to marine history in Wisconsin.
In 1902, John West’s father, Charles C. West and Elias Gunnell purchased the Burger and Burger Shipyard and renamed it the Manitowoc Dry Dock Company. In 1905 it finished work on its first steel-hulled vessel and over the years the name of the company changed eventually becoming the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in 1920 when Mr. West bought out the original shareholders.
In 1925 the Company entered the crane business and in 1940 obtained a U.S. Navy contract to build ten submarines. The company became more diverse entering the foodservice equipment and began manufacturing freezers in 1945 and in 1966 began producing commercial ice-making machines. In 1968 the company acquired the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and, after merging its shipbuilding operations, the name was changed to Bay Shipbuilding Corporation.
In 1971 the company went public and was listed on NASDAQ and then to the NYSE. Several other companies were acquired including the Marinette Marine Corporation in 2000, French tower crane maker Potain in 2001, and the mobile telescopic crane producer Grove Worldwide in 2002. A more detailed history of this company is available at this website.
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Wisconsin Maritime Trails Shipwreck Historic Marker for the FRANCIS HINTON. Photo credit: Carl Eisenberg
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Carl Eisenberg is a sailor and birdwatcher, and has been president of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society since 2016. A retired pediatrician, he is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine. He lives in Mequon, Wis.
