Built by Master Myron Williams at Marysville, Michigan, schooner Emeline initially was constructed with one deck and two masts, and was about 28 feet shorter than its ultimate size. Emeline primarily carried lumber throughout the Great Lakes, but would occasionally ship sundries, construction supplies, and foodstuffs. The schooner was lengthened in 1864; it's likely that this is when the second centerboard trunk was added. On November 30, 1867, the vessel went ashore 20 miles south of Chicago and once floated off it sank in 6 feet of water about half mile down the shore. Emeline was saved from the Great Chicago Fire on October 9, 1871, when it was towed out by the tug L.H. Boole for a supposed $300 (10 times the standard rate). This caused a legal dispute between the owners of the Emeline and the L.H. Boole. On June 26, 1875, the Emeline collided with the schooner Rouse Simmons while sailing in a fog, taking heavy damages that would require multiple weeks of repairs. A similar incident happened a decade later on June 3, 1885, when the ship collided with the schooner Truman Moss in a dense fog and sustained heavy damage. Lumber trade decreased as the decades went on leading to some hardship. Business increased after 1885, and the schooner sailed across Lake Michigan with cargo. The ship was rebuilt in 1893.
After clearing Charlevoix, Michigan, on August 6, 1896, bound with Lumber for Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Emeline was struck by a heavy squall near Baileys Harbor. The ship careened and eventually capsized. The crew escaped on the ship's yawl around 11 AM. After 6 hours of rowing, the men arrived at Baileys Harbor and were taken in by the life-saving crew. The schooner was located 20 miles southeast of Baileys Harbor on August 9 and towed into Baileys Harbor. Efforts were made to right the capsized ship but rolled over again that night. The crew left Baileys Harbor on August 12, and the entire ship was abandoned off Anclam Pier. The vessel posed a hazard to navigation, and was dynamited in September 1903 by wreckers in order to flatten it.
Despite dynamiting, and facing the elements of ice and waves beforehand, the Emeline's hull is largely extant on the site, mostly buried under shifting sands. The wreck lies in 18 feet of water, and is a popular dive site due to its shallow location. As a double centerboard schooner, the Emeline is unique as one of six known in Wisconsin's waters. The site was originally documented by Wisconsin Historical Society in the summers of 1992 and 1996. Marine archaeologists from WHS returned to the site in 2022 to record changes and gather additional information about double centerboards.