W.S. Lyons – Black River Ohio

W.S. Lyons was a 19th-century shipbuilder operating out of Black River, Ohio, which is now known as Lorain, Ohio. The Black River area was an important shipbuilding center in the mid-1800s, producing schooners, brigs, and other wooden sailing vessels for Great Lakes commerce.

Shipbuilding in Black River, Ohio

During the mid-19th century, Ohio was a major hub for shipbuilding, especially along Lake Erie’s southern shoreline. The Black River shipyards were particularly active in the 1840s and 1850s, producing vessels for cargo transport, passenger service, and fishing.

• W.S. Lyons was likely an independent or small-yard builder specializing in wooden sailing vessels.

• His shipyard produced the schooner Trenton in 1843, a two-masted wooden schooner measuring 85 feet in length, built for cargo transport.  Trenton was one of many vessels built in the region for shipping grain, lumber, and coal across the Great Lakes. Length: 85 ft  Beam: 20 ft  Depth: 9 ft Gross Tonnage: 133 GT  Lost in a storm in October 1856 near Grand Haven, Michigan.

Black River’s Role in Great Lakes Shipbuilding

By the mid-to-late 19th century, Black River became one of Ohio’s key shipbuilding locations, with Lorain eventually emerging as a major industrial port. The shipbuilding industry transitioned from wooden sailing vessels to steel-hulled freighters, leading to the decline of smaller yards like those operated by W.S. Lyons.

Conclusion

W.S. Lyons was an early Great Lakes shipbuilder, active in Black River, Ohio, producing wooden schooners for commercial use. His work contributed to Great Lakes trade and transportation, though little documentation remains of his shipyard’s later activities. His most known vessel, the Trenton, was lost in 1856 near Grand Haven, Michigan, but his legacy remains part of Ohio’s rich maritime history.