National Register of Historic Places

WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter)

Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota
Listed
July 12, 1989
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000858

About this property

SS William A. Irvin is a lake freighter, named for William A. Irvin, that sailed as a bulk freighter on the Great Lakes as part US Steel's lake fleet. She was flagship of the company fleet from her launch in the depths of the Great Depression in 1938 until 1975 and then was a general workhorse of the fleet until her retirement in 1978. The ship was refurbished and is moored at Duluth, Minnesota, as a museum ship. SS William A. Irvin is a well-maintained example of a classic laker, and a prime example of a straight decker, as she has no self-unloading system. The ship was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for her state-level significance in the themes of engineering, maritime history, and transportation. She was nominated for her role in Great Lakes maritime commerce and for her innovative design features. The ship has a race named in her honor. Each year since 1994 during the Grandma's Marathon weekend, nearly 2,000 runners compete in the William A. Irvin 5K, which begins and ends at the iconic red hull of the ship.

Location

Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota
46.78323, -92.09758

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONMARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

DeWitt-Seitz Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Duluth Masonic Temple
Industrial
0.2 mi
Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Depot (Endion)
Industrial
0.2 mi
Wirth Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
YWCA of Duluth
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter) listed on the National Register?

WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1989.

What type of historic resource is WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter)?

WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter) is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter)?

The period of significance for WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter) is recorded as the industrial era.

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