AhnapeeShipbuilding

1889

March - fitting out the Ahnapee fleet from the "Ahnapee Record" of March 14, 1889:

"Our harbor presents a scene of unusual activity this week, in the preparations being made by vesselmen in getting their crafts ready for the opening of navigation. The steambarge Mary Mills, the schooners Industry and Clara, and the scow Wm. Finch are undergoing repairs, and the work of fitting out will soon be commenced on the Lady Ellen and Georgie Brown. If the present favorable weather continues, all the vessels named will be ready to go into commission by the middle of April.

"On the decks and in the holds of the Mary Mills, half a score of men are employed under the supervision of the owner Jas. Tufts, in tearing away and rebuilding. The cabin and pilot house has [sic] been taken off, and new deck planking will be put in. The new pilot house will be placed in the bow, with kitchen and sleeping quarters for the men below, and the Captain and Mate's cabin will be placed in the stern, leaving the entire deck clear. Every part of the work will be done with a view to strength and durability and to increase the carrying capacity of the vessel. When the work of rebuilding is completed she will be covered with a new coat of paint; and Mr. Tufts expects to have the work completed in about four weeks.

"The schooner Clara is being rebuilt throughout, every unsound piece of wood in her will be taken out and replaced with sound timber. The entire deck has been raised twenty inches fore and aft, and 16 inches amidships. The stern of the vessel will also be remodeled and made wider than it is at present. Capt. Jansen who has charge of the work expects to have it complete within three weeks.

"On the Industry, Capt. Flynn and his mate are busy with paint and putty improving the appearance of their tidy little vessel. Some minor repairs will be made on deck and on the interior, and she will be treated to a new coat of paint from stem to stern, and made to look as bright as a new dollar. Capt. Flynn expects to take for his first load of cargo, shingles for H. Detjen & Co.

"Capt. Mike Wenniger who knows that his vessel [the schooner Wm. Finch]

is stout, seaworthy and fast, therefore his sole ambition is to make her handsome, in order to combine all the good qualities a vessel can possess. And this he proposes to do by a judicious use of paint, laid on with artistic taste. He has also been at work on a new main boom which is now finished and will be placed in position in a few days."

TO BE CONTINUED

1867

April - steam tug Nelson & Perry

With theCivil War over, and new farms appearing up and down the Ahnapee River valley, river commerce was a vital part of the local economy. The first vessel known to be built and launched at Ahnapee was a steam powered tug identified in the newspapers only as the Nelson and Perry tug. The "Kewaunee Enterprise," the only newspaper in the county at that time, reported on February 27, 1867, that there were four vessels being built in Ahnapee that winter: three schooners and one tug. Messers. Nelson and Perry intended to use their tug "towing down Scows and Rafts of Lumbr, Ties, Wood, Posts, bark, etc." In June of that year the tug was reported to be making two daily trips six miles up the river, carrying downstream 25 to 30 cords of wood on each trip. The Nelson and Perry tug was a simple scow shaped hull with a paddle wheel at the stern and a cabin on deck. In 1873 she was remembered as being "exactly suited to river towing."

July - scow-schooner Ahnepee of Chicago ["Ahnepee" was the early spelling]

While the first steam tug was chugging up and don the river, there was a race on shore to see which of two sailing vesssels would be the first to be launced at Ahnapee. The owners and builder of the scow-schooner Ahnepee of Chicago won the race when she was launched on July 1, 1867. With a 72 foot keel, 22.5 foot beam, and 6.5 foot depth of hold, the scow could carry 100,000 feet of timber per trip. Her completion was a cause for great celebration. The "Door County Advocate" of July 11th reported that there were 200 people present for her launch and that "eating, drinking, and dancing on board" were the order of the day well into the night.

In June of 1884, the Ahnepee went ashore near Sheboygan in a fog where she was made waste by a gale that struck before she could be rescued.

July - scow-sloop Irene

Three day later, on July 4, 1867, the traditional day of celebrating great American accomplishments, the scow-sloop Irene, was launched into the same waters. At 50 tons burthen, she was smaller than the Ahnepee, but was the sentimental favorite of many locals because she was built by home town shipwright and Civil War veteran, Captain Henry Harkins.

July - Schooner Bessie Boalt

Built on the lakeshore, not the river bank like her predecessors, the schooner Bessie Boalt was launched directly into Lake Michigan on long ways. Apparently, her masts were stepped and she was fully rigged when launched, for newspaper reports state that she left with her first cargo the day after she first kissed the water.

She was certainly the largest vessel ever built in Ahnapee at 103' length of keel, 26.5' bean and 8.6' depth of hold, measuring 173.02 tons burthen. While reported lost on several occasions, the Boalt continued sailing under several owners until September 1884 when she was wrecked in a storm off Two Rivers Point, Wisconsin.

The Bessie Boalt was built for one of Ahnapee's entrepreneurs, Charles Griswold Boat, who named it after a daughter who died in childhood. Later reports placed her value at an opulent $32,000.

The builder was Ahnapee's most renowned shipbuilder, William I. Henry, a hero of the Civil War and the father of one Ahnapee's most renowned sailors, also named William I. Henry.

1871

July - the steam tug William I. Henry

Captain Charles Ross and George Warner bought the Nelson and Perry tug and soon thereafter stripped her of her engine and turned her into a freight scow for use on the river. The engine was put into a new tug launched in July of 1871 and named after Major William I. Henry. Their new craft embodied all of the pretensions of the aspiring town in which it was built. She had a deeper "V"-shaped hull and her engine turned not a stern or side- wheel, but a propeller. She was described as a "regular tug." Unfortunately, these very design features made her unsuitable for navigation the shallow Ahnapee River, and so, a mere year later, she was sold to parties at Sturgeon Bay where she had such adventures as helping to free grounded vessels (including those that were bringing the circus to town one summer), towing booms filled with logs for the local sawmills, pumping water from the bay to help extinguish a rooming house fire, and helping to build the Lake Michigan and Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.

In 1880 the William I. Henry suffered the same fate as her progenitor. She was stripped of her engine and turned into a tow barge. The engine went on to a third life in a planning mill at Sturgeon Bay.

1872

Summer - the steam tug Betsey

Of all the vessels that ever called Ahnapee home, the Betsey may most deserve the title of hometown sweethear. Her builders, the same Ross and Warner of the previous two tugs, had learned from their prior experience, and, with the Betsey, built a craft with the shallow flat bottom of the scow shaped hull to accomodate the depth of the river, and side-wheels to allow greater manueverability on the river's twists and turns.

She performed all the mundane tasks of hauling small flotillas of scows up and down the river filled with shingles, cedar posts, timber, farm produce, stone and every other commodity that needed transportation. But she was also there at some newsworthy social events - transporting county Republicans to a political picnic in Forestville (more of a "party" boat than a Pary boat, if you catch my drift!) - and being the host of moonlight cruises for young couples who were seeking some diversion at the end of a toilsome summer day. Boys sometimes hitched a ride on her so that they could dangle a line and troll for fish as the Betsey made her way up and down stream. Residents who suffered from the inevitable cabin fever that comes with long Wisconsin winters looked forward to hearing the Betsey's whistle as soon as the ice was out of the river, a surer sign of spring than any robin's red breast. The terms of endearment with which she was held, sometimes allowed for gentle teasing, suchas when she was described as "rushing" through the water like a "snail on its home stretch.

1875

May - the scow-schooner Whiskey Pete

As her name might suggest, the Whiskey Pete did not have a pedigree. When and where she was built is a mystery. Her name first appeared in the Ahnapee newspaper in the summer of 1874 when she was mentioned as leaving for "the Portage" (now the Lake Michigan entrance to the Strugeon Bay Canal) with stone. In December of that year she was hauled out for repairs at John McDonald's shipyard at the mouth of the river on the north bank. After she was relaunched in the spring of 1875 her name was frequently mentioned as she worked for her master, Ahnapee resident, Captain John McDonald, hauling fish, stone, and whatever else he desired.

More often than not, whenever the Whiskey Pete was named, the scow-schooner Lady Ellen was also mentioned. Both were owned by Capt. McDonald, and the two appear to have often worked in tandem, as partners... or, perhaps, mates. The very sounds of their names begs the comparison with the classic western romance between the whiskey-drinking gambler, gun-slinger, and the lady-like school-marm.

In June of 1879 a note signed simply "Michael" (no doubt Michael McDonald, brother of the scow's owner) was printed in the "Ahnapee Record." It stated only that the Whisky Pete had passed through the Lake Michigan and Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal on the 17th of that month in the company of two other sail vessels. Thus, the Whiskey Pete has a claim on being one of the earliest vessels to make the passage through the canal. (While the canal was officially opened on the 4th of July 1878, it was not until the fall of 1879 that it was sufficiently completed to allow regular commercial usage.

In spite of her prominent role in the community, her building and launch are something of a mystery. The home- town newspaper did announce the launch of a scow-schooner on July 27th, built by Maj. William I. Henry and owned by Capt. John McDonald. The problem is that the name given for the vessel was Tangle. Within a very short time, however, the name Tangle disappeared from the paper never to return. Simultaneously, a new name appeared, that of the Lady Ellen.

Did both names refer to the same vessel? The possibility seems inescapable, especially when it is reported that the Lady Ellen was built by Major Henry and taken as the flag ship of her owner, Capt. McDonald, in the stone trade.

So what is the significance of the name Tangle? It was the nickname of her builder, Maj. Henry. Perhaps he did not want this name memorialized.

August - the schooner St. Lawrence

Of course, repair was as important a part of the shipbuilder's mission as was building. In the summer of 1875 Captain Martin Larkin brought his schooner, the St. Lawrence, into Ahnapee to have a broken mast replaced. In the spring of the next year, the 92.8 ' x 19.8' x 8', was given a thorough rebuild at Ahnapee. It included a new deck, cabin, rais, jibboom and some new planking.

In 1878 the burning of the St. Lawrence and the death of her captain and a passenger evoked grief in Ahnapee. The fire began when a pot of tar was left on the stove in the cabin while the cook took the wheel. The schooner was traveling light and running before the wind with all her canvas set from Chicago to her home port of Ahnapee. The crew was using the voyage as an opportunity to recaulk the deck with the tar. The captain and his passenger attempted to escape the flames by going over the stern in the yawl. But the boat capsized. Apparently, neither man could swim. Three crew members from Ahnapee survived to tell the tale.

Captain Larkin had been the first master of the first Ahnapee built sail vessel, the scow- schooner Ahnepee of Chicago. He had come to town with a long history of sailing behind him. Born in 1822 in northern Ireland, Captain Larkin joined the British navy and sailed all over the world before settling in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1855. The schooner St. Lawrence, too, was an esteemed veteran, having been built in 1842 at Clayton, New York, on the St. Lawrence River.

1876

April - unnamed river scows

Small craft such as river scows to be taken in tow by the steamtug Betsey, row boats and two-masted, double-ended fishing craft usually referred to as Mackinac boats were plentiful in Ahnapee, and it is inevitable that local shipbuilders both repaired and built them. Unfortunately, such common tasks drew little attention - the craft themselves were usually not named - and so we can assume that much of this kind of work was done without ever being recorded. Three brief articles from the local newspaper, the "Ahnapee Record," in 1876 confirm this suspicion. From April 20, 1876:

"Messers. A. D. & A. C. Eveland and A. Perry have about completed repairs on the

several river scows belonging to S. Perry, F. Paarman and G. W. Youngs. Four of them have already been launched."

From November 16, 1876:

"Vessel men are beginning to learn that Ahnapee can furnish just as good ship-carpenters and caulkers as any southern port and are making use of our harbor to procure their repairs. John Roberts is one of the best ship-smiths on the chain of lakes."

From November 23, 1876:

"A. D. Eveland and 'Hank' Harkins have been employed during the past week in placing seven large river scows in dry dock for repairs. The steamer Betsey has been laid up. She also will be hauled out for repairs during the coming winter."

June - the scow Crazy Horse

Henry Harkins ("Hank") was the other boatbuilder in town after Major William I. Henry. He was associated with smaller craft. The scow-schooner Irene, launched July 4th, 1867, was his handiwork; and now we find him repairing river scows and working on the steam tug at his own ship yard.

In 1876, he also launched the Crazy Horse, described only by hull type ("scow") with no mention of her rig, if she had one. He dimensions suggest she was meant for shallow water, but much too large to be one of the scows that were commonly towed up and down the river - 76' long, 23' wide, and with a 40 inch hold. She must have wetted her hull in the lake, if only because she was built at Foscoro (now Silver Creek) and brought to Ahnapee. Was she towed? Or was she sailed? The report of her launching only contributes to the confusion: "This scow is decidedly the best one ever put on the river, and it is put up in such a manner that she will do to go on the lake at any time." She "will do to go on the lake?" That doesn't sound like a resounding vote of confidence. She was to be employed in carrying wood or bark, with a capacity of 70 cords of the former, and 100 cords of the latter. Her owner was C. L. Fellows, sailor, mill-owner and merchant. Assuming that she survived to perform her appointed duty, she led a life of obscurity, for after the notice of her launching the Crazy Horse was never again mentioned in the press at Ahnapee.

1877

April - schooner Conquest

Built at Olcott, New York, in 1853, the schooner Conquest was bought in 1875 by Capt. William H. McDonald of Ahnapee. In the fall of 1876 she was hauled out at Henry Harkins shipyard to undergo a thorough rebuilt during the winter, and when she was launched in April of 1877, the newspaper pronounced her "as staunch and handsome as when first built." Captain McDonald had invested $1,500 in her. That year she sailed with a crew of all Ahnapee men and for at least a decade thereafter she was closely associated with the town. In December of 1877 she was laid up for the winter after making 26 trips for the season (all but 2 to Chicago). That would be an average of 4 round trips per month - a very busy year!

May - a yawl for the steam tug Two Davids

The tug Two Davids was named for two of Ahnapee's early entrepreneurs, David Youngs and David Swaty. F. Swaty had her built in Manitowoc, and her first captain was Walt Youngs. She was intended to serve on the river between Ahnapee and Forestville, and therefore had a draft of only 17 inches. A calm day was needed before she could be brought by lake from Manitowoc, and Capt. Youngs entertained himself while waiting for the necessary weather by steaming up and down the Manitowoc River, raising the ire of the bridge tender there to a near murderous pitch. But, once she arrived in town, it was all wark and no play. In her first month she made 24 trips to Forestville for railroad ties, bark, shingles and lumber.

September - an unnamed scow - was she the sloop Caledonia?

Like Henry Harkins' scow Crazy Horse, another scow was launched in September of 1879 which soon thereafter disappears from the view. Her builder was sometimes-sailor, sometimes-builder, and sometimes-barber, Billy Dingman, a man who was known to have made a few very public blunders in his day, but was a much loved figure in town. At her launching no name was given, only her dimensions - 24' long, 7.5' wide, and 30 inches depth of hold - and her hull type - scow. The fact that Billy is mentioned as the master of a small sloop named Caledonia that same year, does not necessarily signify that the new-built scow and the sloop were one and the same, but, of course, the possibility is tantalizing. In 1880 Captain Dingman was reported to have fitted out his "small scow preparatory to entering the trading business." Again, no name! Would he have ventured out on the lake to trade in a vessel a mere 24 feet in length and 7.5 feet wide? From other stories about Billy - like the time he set out from Ahnapee into the face of a southeast wind with a cargo of 8,400 bricks only to turn back as soon as he entered the lake, losing his cargo and vessel in full view of the whole town when he missed the harbor mouth - the answer may be yes.

July - the scow-schooner Sea Star

From 1878 to 1886 the scow-schooner Sea Star was associated with the enterprise of the Fellows family of Ahnapee and Racine. Her regular trips were between Foscoro, the pier community where Charles Fellows owned a sawmill, and Chicago, and for a number of years Ahnapee native August Schuenemann, the first "Christmas Tree Schuenemann," was her captain. In 1879 Inland Lloyd's Vessel Registry listed her as being uninsurable. So it is not surprising that she was pulled out at Ahnapee for a rebuild in the fall of 1879. Perhaps there were problems. Work did not begin until July of 1880, and the ship carpenters who worked on her - five of them - were imported from Sheboygan. But the lumber came from the Foscoro mill. By September she was back in commission, and worked hard until she was caught in a southeast gale next to a pier at Clay Banks, Wisconsin, in 1886, and was pounded to a point of total destruction.