Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

Identification & Site Information

• Name: ART PALACE
• Other Names: None reported (possibly unofficial nicknames)
• Official Number: 29359
• Date Built and Launched: 1867
• Builder: G. Gunderson, Fort Howard, Wisconsin (now part of Green Bay, WI)
• Homeport: Manitowoc, Wisconsin (registered in 1877)
• Vessel Type: Two-masted wooden schooner
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Power: Sail-powered
• Measurements: Length: 51 ft (15.5 m) Beam: 16 ft (4.9 m) Depth: 4 ft (1.2 m)
• Tonnage: 33 tons
• Function:
• Originally a schooner, but later operated as a floating brothel (“bagnio”) in Green Bay, Lake Michigan.

Vessel Type

The ART PALACE was a small schooner, originally built for cargo transport or fishing but later converted into a floating brothel.

Ships repurposed for entertainment, gambling, and illicit activities were not uncommon in the mid-19th century Great Lakes, where port cities had booming lumber, shipping, and logging industries that attracted large populations of transient workers.

The ship’s notoriety came from its unusual use—it was reportedly run by a man known as “Commodore Peg-Leg”, and crewed by a half-dozen “model artistes”, suggesting it was a floating saloon and brothel catering to sailors and dockworkers.

History

The ART PALACE had a short but colorful career, serving only two years before running aground in 1869.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1867: Built in Fort Howard (Green Bay), Wisconsin, as a cargo or fishing schooner.
• 1867-1869: At some point, the vessel was converted into a floating brothel, operating in Green Bay, Lake Michigan.
• August 14, 1869: Driven ashore during a storm and presumed lost.
• 1877: Despite its apparent destruction, the vessel was still listed in the Manitowoc ship registry, suggesting it was later recovered and returned to service.

Final Disposition

The ART PALACE was lost on August 14, 1869, when it was driven ashore off Cedar River, Green Bay, by a gale.

The Disaster

• The vessel was lying at anchor when a storm struck.
• The ship was blown onto shore and presumed a total loss.
• The captain, known as “Commodore Peg-Leg”, and his crew of “a half-dozen model artistes” escaped to shore and lived in the nearby woods for a time.
• The vessel was later recovered, as it remained registered in Manitowoc as late as 1877, though its use after this point is unknown.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There are no confirmed reports of the ART PALACE‘s wreck being discovered or surveyed near Cedar River, Green Bay, Lake Michigan.

If it was successfully recovered, it may have continued sailing under a different name or been dismantled later.

Notmars & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported near Cedar River, Green Bay.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File

Conclusion

The ART PALACE stands out as one of the most unusual vessels in Great Lakes history, blending maritime trade, storm disasters, and the era’s underground economy.

Despite running aground and presumed lost in 1869, its mysterious reappearance in ship registries nearly a decade later suggests that it was salvaged and possibly repurposed.

Its association with the infamous “Commodore Peg-Leg” and his floating brothel operation makes this one of the more colorful and lesser-known shipwreck stories of the Great Lakes.

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