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New Exhibit Open in Weather Bureau Building
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It is a pleasure to announce that another new exhibit has been opened by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society!
With generous funding from Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, an interpretive display is now open at the Society’s U.S. Weather Bureau Building, located in Soo Locks Park, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Admission to this exhibit is free. Building hours are 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.
The exhibit features a series of descriptive, colorful panels and artifacts on topics ranging from the creation of the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1871 – which took place as a response to loss of life on Great Lakes Shipwrecks – to the development of lighthouses, the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Panels discuss Lake Superior shipwrecks and the importance of Whitefish Point to navigation, maritime history, and bird migration. Artifacts include a bust of Professor Increase Lapham, founder of the Weather Bureau; Life-Saving Service items; and authentic shipwreck artifacts. A branch of the Shipwreck Coast Museum Store is located on the same floor.
The Society is excited to open this historic building to the public. It is at Gate 14 of Soo Locks Park, 400 West Portage Avenue. Please call the Shipwreck Society administrative office with any questions at 800-635-1742.
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Shipwreck Museum Opens for Season
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The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, one of Michigan’s most popular destinations in the Upper Peninsula, opened for the 2009 season on May 1. The museum is located at the historic Whitefish Point Light Station, Whitefish Point, Michigan. The museum is operated by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
Visitors experience a self-guided tour of the Shipwreck Museum building, with exhibits about Lake Superior’s shipwrecks, history of Whitefish Point, U.S. Lighthouse Service, and the Edmund Fitzgerald. Exhibits display actual artifacts, interpreted through paintings, descriptive narratives, and ship models. Visitors see a 15-minute video, Shipwreck: The Mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald and enjoy a guided tour of the 1861 Lightkeepers Quarters Building. There is a new Underwater Research exhibit featuring new artwork in the Theatre Building.
The restored Surfboat House features a handmade replica Beebe-McClellan 26-foot surfboat. The U.S. Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service merged to become the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. Exhibits depict stories of dramatic rescues by the Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard along Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast. The Coast Guard established its Lifeboat Rescue Station at Whitefish Point in 1923.
The Shipwreck Museum, historic buildings, and Shipwreck Coast Museum Store are open every day May 1 – October 31, 10 am to 6 pm. Group rates are available. The U.S. Coast Guard Crews Quarters building is open for overnight stays April 15 – October 31. For more information, please call the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at 888-492-3747 or the Administrative Office at 800-635-1742.
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Society Announces Mackinac Bridge Tower Tour Raffle
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The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announces that tickets are now on sale for the Mackinac Bridge Tower Tour Raffle! The winner and one guest will travel by elevator up into one of the main towers of the Mackinac Bridge to the viewing platform, 552 feet above the Straits of Mackinac – one of most scenic views in the world.
Certain rules apply as set by the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Winners must meet basic physical standards, sign a liability waiver and provide official identification. The tour will take place in the morning on a date between August 15 and October 15, 2009 as arranged between the winner and Bridge Authority.
The drawing date for this raffle is Saturday, August 15, 2009, at 2:00 pm at the Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point. Second Prize is an overnight stay in the Crews Quarters Building for two; and Third Prize is a Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Jacket.
As with other Society raffles, tickets are $5.00 each or 5 tickets for $20.00. Raffle tickets may be purchased now by visiting our Online Shop (click on the title above, the image of the bridge, or the site menu at left), or by calling Society administrative offices at 800-635-1742. Michigan raffle license # R00103.
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Sale at Online Shipwreck Coast Museum Store
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Shipwreck Coast Museum Store announces a special online sale of 30 % off all winter jackets and 25 % off all clothing purchased at the Online Shop here on the web site. In addition to these sale items, visitors also have a broad selection of books, artwork, collectibles, kitchen items, souvenirs, music, nautical gifts, and Fitzgerald memorabilia available.
Shipwreck Coast Museum Store is popular for its unique items, adorned with the logo of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. Items are not franchised to any other stores nor web sites.
During the winter months, a branch of our store is open for visitors at the newly restored U.S. Weather Bureau Building, 400 W. Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, 49783. Orders may be made by telephone and picked up at this facility, and the above discounts apply to items purchased here as well.
Online and telephone orders are processed no later than the following business day. Patrons may call toll-free to 800-635-1742 with any questions. To visit our Online Shop, simply click on the menu at the left, or on the image to the right.
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Centennial: Steaming through the American Century
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Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society Board Member Chris Winters spent five years creating a vivid record of life aboard the venerable Great Lakes steamboat S.S. St. Marys Challenger as she approached the centennial anniversary of her maiden voyage in 2006. A frequent visitor to Milwaukee’s harbor and reportedly the oldest operational freight ship in the world, the Challenger began her remarkable fresh water career on the Great Lakes on April 28, 1906—six years before the launch of R.M.S. Titanic.
Granted unprecedented access to the vessel by her owners, Winters set off on a personal quest to record an old way of life in a new way by focusing revolutionary digital cameras on this revolutionary machine from another century. On April 28, 2006, the centennial anniversary of her maiden voyage from the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Challenger became the first vessel on the Great Lakes—and quite possibly in the history of seafaring—to eclipse 100 years while still in commercial service.
Centennial: Steaming Through the American Century is a painstakingly researched, masterfully designed, 240-page hardcover that contains over 300 contemporary and archival images from the boat’s hardworking 100-year history. Copies are $50.00 each and may be ordered from our Online Shop – Books by clicking on the image or title above.
Chris Winters is a Milwaukee-based photojournalist specializing in Great Lakes maritime subjects. Smitten with the lore of lake boats and the mythology surrounding the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Winters is a veteran wreck diver, dynamic lecturer on Great Lakes shipwreck history, and a frequent contributor to Great Laker magazine. His documentary work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the region.
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Second Book in War of 1812 Action Series Now Available
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The Shipwreck Society is pleased to present the second book in the Great Lakes, Great Guns series written by our current President, James Spurr.
One Sloop and Slow Match continues the saga of two strong-willed men, related through marriage, bound by friendship, separated by war, as they
face the challenge of battle on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.
Captain William Lee and Oliver Williams become embroiled in the cauldrons of the greatest battles to ever take place on the inland seas. Join them and a young Master Commandant Perry, initially in command of only tiny gunboats, as the struggle with Great Britain intensifies into a grueling game of wits, bloodshed and perseverance, and Perry rises to become one of our greatest American Heroes.
“We have met the enemy. . .”
From the Chicago Massacre to the blockade of U.S. Naval forces at
Presque Isle on Lake Erie, James Spurr recreates the action with
unerring historical accuracy while conveying the emotion of perilous
uncertainty.
One Sloop and Slow Match can be purchased from the Shipwreck Coast Museum Store; click on the image to visit our Online Shop - Books or call us at 888-492-3747.
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Lt. Governor John Cherry Presents Check for $100,000
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Michigan's Lieutenant Governor John Cherry visited Soo Locks Park on Monday, August 4, to present the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society with a ceremonial check for $100,000. Funds will be used to restore the exterior of the 1899 Weather Bureau Building that will shortly become the new administrative home of the Shipwreck Society.
These funds are made available by the State of Michigan through the Clean Michigan Initiative Program of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Work on the building is on schedule and the big move should occur in early September. The Shipwreck Society's new administrative address will be 400 W. Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. Society members' next issue of Shipwreck Journal will have all the details!
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Shipwreck Society Receives $40,000 Grant to Paint Light Tower
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The famous Light Tower at Whitefish Point has been in continuous operation for 147 years. While the U.S. Coast Guard continues to maintain its life-saving beacon, the tower itself became property of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in 1998. The Society is now responsible for maintaining this wonderful lighthouse, an icon for so many Michigan residents and visitors.
The Society announces that Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program has awarded $40,000 in funding for tower restoration on a matching basis. While this money will go a long way, it is not enough to complete the entire project – a very major job. The Shipwreck Society needs to raise additional money, and we are asking our members and the public for help over the course of the summer.
The Society is organizing a fundraising campaign for this purpose. If you would like to help preserve the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, please complete the web site contact form by clicking the title above or the picture of the light; or, simply call the Shipwreck Society offices toll-free at 800-635-1742 – ask for Sean Ley, Development Officer.
The Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program is supported by sales of the “Save Our Lights” state license plates. Click on the link below to see a story about the 1861 tower and this important project, by Society Board Member Corey Adkins, of TV 9 & 10 News.
Preserving the Whitefish Point Light Tower
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Overnight Accommodations... Stay at the Light Station
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The Overnight Program is available annually between April 1 and November 21. Reservations for evenings between these dates can be made at any time of year.
A unique travel and educational experience available year round, you can now visit Whitefish Point Light Station and experience premium overnight accommodations for an evening or two with guided museum tours. Click image for details.
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Humanities Grant Received for Historic US Weather Bureau Building Exhibit
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GLSHS sincerely thanks Michigan Humanities Council for a new $15,000 matching grant that will fund the exhibit to be installed in the west gallery space on the first floor: This project is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about Michigan Humanities, please visit their web site at www.michiganhumanities.org
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has signed a 25-year lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use of the historic 1899 Weather Bureau Building, located in Locks Park, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Society plans to move its Sault Ste. Marie offices into this building.
The first floor will be used as exhibit space and will encourage visitors to attend the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point; second floor for administrative offices; and third floor for the museum’s Great Lakes Images and Papers collection storage; this collection will be open to the public by appointment.
Interior restoration of the building began in the spring of 2007. The Shipwreck Society graciously thanks 84 Lumber Company of Ann Arbor and Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors for their generous support. We also wish to thank Lock City Home Center of Sault Ste. Marie; Waste Management; and Kinross Correctional Facility for their kind contributions towards historic rehabilitation.
Initial support for the exterior restoration and interior rehabilitation design plan was provided by the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries; the plan was prepared by U.P. Engineers & Architects of Marquette, Michigan, with assistance from the museum’s exhibit designer, Mr. James Kelly.
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Shipwreck Museum Wins 2007 State History Award
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The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum has been honored with a State History Award by the Historical Society of Michigan in the category Communications: Newsletters and Websites. The award was presented by HSM Board Member Steve Williams and accepted by Shipwreck Society Development Officer Sean Ley at the 133rd Annual State History Conference in Macomb County, Michigan, at the end of September.
Since its inception in 1978, the Shipwreck Society has published a quarterly newsletter called The Shipwreck Journal which is mailed regularly to all members by either US Mail or electronic mail. It has a subscription of 1,700. The award was given for outstanding quality in both this newsletter and in this website.
The State History Awards are the highest recognition presented by Michigan’s official historical society, which is also the oldest cultural organization in the state, established in 1828.
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Shipwreck Society Locates Wreck of historic Cyprus
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Lost within Lake Superior’s mysteries for 100 years, the wreck of the historic Cyprus has been located by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. She is a 420-foot steel steamer, lying on her port side in 460 feet of water, untouched, and completely intact but for sections of her wooden deck cabins destroyed in the sinking. As this discovery reveals such an excellent glimpse of life aboard on October 11, 1907, it has quickly become a major news event.
Please click on the headline or image to visit the story under Press Releases.
Please click on the following link to see the video story of this exciting find on the 9 & 10 News Website, produced by GLSHS Board Member Corey Adkins:
Visit 9 & 10 News
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Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
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The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs serves to encourage, develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative and cultural activity in Michigan. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is again an Anchor Organization of MCACA for 2007-2008.
MCACA goals are to
strengthen arts and culture;
support arts education;
recognize, reflect and celebrate cultural pluralism and broaden cultural understanding;
establish and facilitate communications networks;
increase visibility and awareness of the arts and culture;
encourage new, creative and innovative works of art; and
expand and develop funding resources.
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Soo Locks Live Cam
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Watch vessel passages, check out live cams at the locks. Click image and wait a few extra seconds while you are transferred to the secure site. Real time images may be delayed for security reasons.
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