J.V. Taylor (1867)
Scroll Down
By The Numbers
0
Built
0
Sank
0
Lives Lost
0
Depth (ft)
 
 
Service History

The wooden schooner J.V. Taylor, built in 1867 at Winneconne, Wisconsin, was named after Mr. Joseph Victor Taylor and was built for the Lake Michigan lumber trade, mostly operating out of Chicago. The vessel was originally a 3 masted topsail schooner, but in the early 1900's one mast was removed and she used only the main and mizzen masts, becoming a "wolverine rig". The Taylor had a capacity of 250,000 board feet of lumber and in 1874/1875 she was valued at $11,000 and rated A2.

August 21, 1871: While off Waukegon, Illinois the Taylor was involved in a collision with the schooner Spy.

1873: A new deck was installed.

May 1874: Damaged by a collision on Lake Michigan.

August 10, 1882: Involved in a collision with the schooner Jane Maria Scott on Lake Michigan.

1882: Rebuilt.

1897: Recaulked the deck and top sides.

1901: Repairs.

1902: Recaulked deck.
Final Voyage

The final owner of the schooner J.V.Taylor was L.A. Buck of Escanaba, Michigan and she was officially abandoned in 1928 (some say she was abandoned in 1915). She lay in the Roor River at Racine east of the Meade Street Bridge (apparently now Marquette Street), on the north side of the river, headed west without any masts, setting low in the water. She was abandoned there and her remains could be seen as late as the 1950's. The location must be close to the present day Fifth Street Yacht Club and boat launch just east of the Marquette Street Bridge.
Today

The abandoned remains of the J.V. Taylor may possibly had been removed in the 1930s, although Bob Jaeck and Brad Friend apparently located the remains in the 1990s.
The location has been listed as just east of the Meade Street bridge in Racine. Today the bridge is called the Marquette Street Bridge and the Fifth Street Yacht Club is just to the east of the bridge. A letter from Robert Jaeck dated 2/9/2003 states that the area was dredged in 2001, but they could still see larger pieces of the Taylor. "I learned from a fisherman that goes to the Fifth Street Yacht Club that the area of the T.V. Taylor (J.V. Taylor) was dredged in the summer of 2001. Brad and I could see the claw holes in the bottom on the drop camera. Seems that the backhoe could not remove the larger pieces of the schooner Taylor."
 
Map
Confirmed Location     Unconfirmed location
 
Nearby
© 2024 - Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Historical Society