National Register of Historic Places

MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site

Sister Bay, Door County, Wisconsin
Listed
March 21, 1996
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
96000294

About this property

The Meridian was a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan off Sister Bay, Wisconsin, south of the Sister Islands. In 1996, the shipwreck site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Meridian was built in Ohio in 1848. In 1849, it was reported by the Milwaukee Sentinel that the ship's second mate, James Bain, was killed aboard the vessel in an ensuing fight after he had attacked the captain and thrown the first mate overboard. In October 1873, the Meridian left Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was bound for Oconto, Wisconsin. She was carrying no cargo at the time and it is presumed that it was intended for her to pick up lumber in Oconto. Along the way, the ship hit a violent storm that drove her off course. The vessel suffered extensive damage and eventually sank. Multiple attempts were made to recover the Meridian, but were unsuccessful. In 1991, the Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program of the Wisconsin Historical Society began surveying the site. The remnants of the Meridian are owned by the State of Wisconsin and the site is managed by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Location

Sister Bay, Door County, Wisconsin

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALENGINEERING
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Questions about this property

When was MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site listed on the National Register?

MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1996.

What type of historic resource is MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site?

MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site?

The period of significance for MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near MERIDIAN (schooner) Shipwreck Site?

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