Search below for stories about ships, lighthouses, sailors and anything else about life on Lake Michigan. The database contains references to articles from the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record (June 12, 1873 to Jan. 7, 1927), the Door County Advocate (Nov. 8, 1861 to Dec. 22, 1949), and the Manitowoc Pilot (June 14, 1859 to Dec. 28, 1899). The results will direct you to the date and page in these newspapers where the article can be found.
Microfilm copies of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, Algoma Public Library in Algoma. Microfilm copies of the Door County Advocate are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, the Door County Public Library in Sturgeon Bay, and the Brown County Library in Green Bay. Microfilm of the Manitowoc Pilot are available at the Manitowoc County Historical Society, the Manitowoc Public Library, and the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.
Check with your local library about obtaining the microfilm via interlibrary loan.
| Newspaper | Object | Name | Date | Page | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1889-04-25 | 3 | The work on the barge Mary Mills and the schooner Clara is now about completed. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1889-04-11 | 3 | Capt. David Ramage will sail as Capt. Of the barge Mary Mills, during the coming season. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1887-06-02 | 3 | The machinery of the barge G. P. Heath has been raised and will be placed in the dismantled hull of the steambarge Mary Mills. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1887-08-11 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills, which was fitted out with the machinery of the burned barge G. P. Heath, has gone into commission. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1887-09-22 | 3 | Was in port, but being unable to obtain a cargo of wood, left for Lily Bay, where he loaded at the pier of V. & C. Mashek. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1900-12-07 | 1 | The steambarge Mary Mills was burned at Sturgeon Bay. She was burned to the waters edge and is a total loss. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1885-11-12 | 3 | Laid up. boiler and engine are to be taken out and put in barge for Stronach Lumber Co. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Barge | Mary Mills | 1886-02-25 | 3 | Machinery is to be transferred to the new barge on the stocks at Rand and Burger yard | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Barge | Mary Mills | 1887-06-09 | 3 | Machinery brought in from barge Heath to be placed in barge Mary Mills | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Mary Mills | 1894-05-24 | 3 | Was wind bound hee a couple of days last week. |
This database is a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. The project is spearheaded by WUAA member Russel Leitz, who helped develop a framework for the database and painstakingly combed through 54 years of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record, 87 years of the Door County Advocate and 40 years of the Manitowoc Pilot for maritime news. The more than 50,000 references are the fruit of his labor alone.