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 | Burrows | 1881-12-22 | 3 | From Clay Banks. The barge Burrows landed a lot of goods at the Clay Banks's pier, last week, for our merchants. This looks like business. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1895-10-26 | 5 | Released at Jacksonport | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1896-02-15 | 5 | In winter moorings at Manitowoc | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1882-04-06 | 3 | Built by Rand & Burger for Barnes & Oberg, was launched on thursday last | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1883-02-08 | 3 | Owned wholly or in part in Manitowoc - 134 tons | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1883-04-26 | 3 | Old ton. (134.06) compared with the present (127.36) with new arrangement. Lying here | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1886-12-09 | 3 | Failed to make this port from Milwaukee due to ice | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1892-12-01 | 3 | Arrived | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Burt Barnes | 1893-09-14 | 3 | Captain Oberg of schooner was in the city a few days this week. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Burt Barnes | 1893-11-23 | 3 | Laid up his boat here this 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.