Little Harbor Launch Wreck Listed in the State Register of Historic Places

SEVASTOPOL, Wis. - The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Little Harbor Launch wreck on the State Register of Historic Places. The remains are located northeast of the Sherwood Point Lighthouse on Green Bay near the city of Sturgeon Bay. The wreck is partially embedded in the sediment in 92 feet of water. State Historic Preservation Officer Daina Penkiunas presented a certificate to maritime archaeologists Tamara Thomsen and Kendra Kennedy.

The Little Harbor Launch is the only known example of a gasoline launch in Wisconsin’s waters. Once a ubiquitous vessel type, gas launches and boats were a common sight in the early 20th century on Wisconsin’s many bodies of water. They were used to transport fisherfolk, hunters, mail, freight, workers, vacationers, and more throughout the Door County peninsula region. The wreck at Little Harbor was likely built sometime between 1890 and 1930 and measures less than 30 feet in length.

Little historical documentation exists on launch construction and operation. Further archaeological and historical research into the Little Harbor Launch has the potential to illuminate the myriad ways these abundant, common, small boats connected Wisconsin’s dynamic and significant maritime heritage and communities.

State and federal laws protect this wreck. 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: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Home#anchor3

To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: www.wisconsinhistory.org

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. The Wisconsin Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, receives grants and private contributions benefitting the Wisconsin Historical Society and administers the membership program. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.