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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Virginia | 1918-02-21 | 1 | May be taken over for war | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-02-05 | 3 | New steel twin screw for Goodrich Co. at Cleveland is in frame | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-05-21 | 3 | Steel steamer will not get out before the middle of June | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-07-16 | 3 | Added another palatial steamer to fleet. Will ply between Chicago and Milwaukee. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-09-10 | 3 | Had a quiet race with the City of Milwaukee and lost. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-09-17 | 3 | Sentinel says Virginia will have alterations that will amount to a practical rebuild. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1891-10-01 | 3 | Paper now state that steamer will not have any remodeling done during the winter. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Virginia | 1891-10-08 | 3 | Captain Sweeny commanded the Virginia. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Virginia | 1892-03-24 | 3 | Appointments for Goodrich Line for 1892. Capt. B. Sweeney, Engineer G. P. Roth | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Virginia | 1892-05-26 | 3 | Is having new wheels put in. |
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.