Site Description #
- 2 Masted Schooner
- 123ffw
- 135ft
- Humber Bay, Toronto, Ontario
- N43°36’7″ W79°25’1″
Lyman M. Davis, a fore-and-aft schooner, was built in 1873 at Muskegon, Michigan. The vessel had two masts and was primarily owned by the Mason Lumber Co., with Charles S. Davis serving as the agent. With a length of 123 feet, a beam of 27.2 feet, and a depth of 9.4 feet, it had a gross tonnage of 224.97. The schooner had a capacity to carry 250,000 feet of lumber.
Throughout its history, Lyman M. Davis underwent various modifications and changes. In May 1876, it was remeasured, resulting in a gross tonnage of 195.35 and a net tonnage of 185.59. In August 1883, a new foremast was installed, and in subsequent years, the vessel underwent major repairs and was rebuilt multiple times.
In 1913, ownership of the schooner was transferred to Graham Bros. of Kincardine, Ontario. The vessel was primarily engaged in the lumber trade, transporting cargo in the Great Lakes region. Ownership changed hands again in 1919, with John A. McCullough and Cephus H. Spencer of Napanee, Ontario, becoming the new owners. During this time, Lyman M. Davis was involved in the coal trade, transporting 248 tons of coal between Oswego, Fair Haven, Sodus, Kingston, and the Bay of Quinte.
However, on November 25, 1922, the schooner ran aground on Waupoos Island in Lake Ontario. It faced various challenges over the years but managed to continue its operations. By 1928, Henry Haryaw of Kingston, Ontario, assumed ownership of the vessel.
Sadly, on June 29, 1934, Lyman M. Davis met its final fate. The schooner was intentionally burned as a spectacle in Toronto, Ontario. With its destruction, the era of commercial schooners in the Great Lakes came to an end.
Lyman M. Davis holds historical significance as the last remaining commercial schooner on the Great Lakes, representing a bygone era of maritime transportation and trade. The vessel’s journey spanned several decades, witnessing modifications, changes in ownership, and serving in different capacities within the lumber and coal trades. Its final act, the deliberate burning in Toronto, marked the end of an era and brought closure to the storied history of this remarkable schooner.
