Located 0.5 miles southeast of the entrance to the Baileys Harbor marina, in Door County, Wisconsin, lie the remains of the wooden double-centerboard schooner Emeline in 18 feet of water on a bottom of sand. Built in 1862 by Myron Williams in Vicksburg, Michigan, Emeline was one of a unique class of Great Lakes vessels: the double centerboard schooner. Much of our understanding of this vessel type, and the lakeshoring trade in which they operated, has come from archaeological data recovered from wreck sites. Little historical documentation exists on double centerboard schooner construction and operation.

The vessel spent most of its career carrying lumber throughout the Great Lakes region. In August 1896, Emeline was sailing south from Charlevoix, Michigan with a cargo of tan bark when the vessel was caught in a northwest squall. The vessel was blown over to its starboard side, and was able to right itself, but did not gain stability. It was pushed over on its port side by shifting cargo, and began to fill with water. The crew were able to reach Baileys Harbor in the yawl boat, and the following day, the vessel was taken under tow, still slightly afloat. After several attempts to right the vessel, the vessel was righted, only to heel over and sink in 18 feet of water near Anclam Pier. Over the next few months, the vessel was broken up by wind and wave action and declared a hazard to navigation. In 1903, the vessel was dynamited to flatten the hazard.

State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this 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.

Wisconsin Shipwrecks