National Register of Historic Places

NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner)

Town of Grafton, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Listed
December 10, 2010
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
10001005

About this property

Northerner was an 81-foot-long (24.7-meter-long), two-masted schooner. She sank in Lake Michigan on November 29, 1868, five miles east of Grafton, Wisconsin, United States. The bottom of the ship lies under 130 feet (40 meters) of water. Northerner was built in 1850 in Clayton, New York, by John Oades. Her original owner was Henry T. Bacon, a New York merchant, and her co-owner and operator was Russell Disbrow. At that time, Northerner mainly operated on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In 1859, she was damaged in a storm on Lake Ontario and was reconstructed at Wells Island, New York. In 1863, the ship was sold to interests in Chicago, Illinois. At that point, Northerner became involved in shipping lumber on Lake Michigan. On 15 September 1865, Northerner was sold to Nicholas Ronk and Nicholas Cauten of Ronksville, Wisconsin. By 7 December 1866 Ronk bought out his partner and became the Northerner's sole owner. On 22 May 1867 a new enrollment was entered at Milwaukee that documented Anders Ryerson of Milwaukee as owning 1/3 share and Nicholas Ronk owning 2/3 of the vessel. Ryerson became her captain. In November 1868, her hull suffered damaged at Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, while she took on a cargo of timber. The ship made it to Port Washington, where temporary repairs were made. Then she was towed back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by another ship, Cuyahoga. Northerner capsized en route to Milwaukee on November 29, 1868. Cuyahoga rescued her crew. The depth of Northerner′s is somewhat controversial. Some sources cite the Northerner as being under 130 feet (40 meters) of water, while others have stated that the depth is 135 feet (41 meters). The foremast has toppled but remains on the wreck. The amidships mast is no longer on or near the wreck. The ship remains fairly intact although the pilothouse tore off when the ship sank. 1) This listing of operators in most likely incomplete. The resources used only mentions these operators and further research should be done for a complete listing.

Location

5 mi SE of Port Washington Harbor in Lake Michigan
Town of Grafton, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
43.31891, -87.82355

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINAL
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

Port Washington North Breakwater Light
Industrial
4.9 mi
Dodge, Edward, House
Industrial
5.3 mi
Old Ozaukee County Courthouse
Industrial
5.4 mi
Hoffman House Hotel
Industrial
5.4 mi
Port Washington Downtown Historic District
Listed
5.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner) listed on the National Register?

NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2010.

What type of historic resource is NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner)?

NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner) is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner)?

The period of significance for NORTHERNER Shipwreck (Schooner) is recorded as the listed era.

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