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

• Vessel Name(s): Elizabeth
• Registry Number: None located
• Former Names: None noted
• Year Built: 1863
• Builder: Unknown Milwaukee shipyard (possibly Ellsworth & Davidson yard per later scow reference)
• Construction Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Date of Loss: August 11, 1866
• Casualties: None reported
• Home Port: Milwaukee, WI
• Original Owner: E. Boyle (Milwaukee)
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 40.50 ft (12.34 m)
  • Beam: 12.80 ft (3.90 m)
  • Depth of Hold: 4.60 ft (1.40 m)
  • Tonnage: Not registered
• Hull Material: Wood
• Rig: 2-masted schooner
• Propulsion: Sail

Coordinates of reported wreckage:

• Latitude: 42° 35.110′ N
• Longitude: 87° 48.380′ W
• Waterbody: Lake Michigan
• County: Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Nearest City: Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Reported Depth: Likely buried in sand and fill; 0 ft visible today

Vessel Type

A small 2-masted schooner, typical of early 1860s coastal lumber carriers.

• Designed for short-haul lumber trade between Lake Michigan ports.
• Constructed entirely of wood.
• Intended for sail-only propulsion, with low freeboard and shallow draft to allow access to river mouths and lumber piers.

Description

The Elizabeth was a lightweight, shallow-draft schooner approximately 40 ft in length, built for the coastal lumber trade. She carried lumber from small Wisconsin ports to Chicago. The vessel had two masts, wooden hull, and minimal accommodations. Her gross tonnage is not recorded, but vessels of her size averaged under 25 tons.

Service History

• 1863: Launched in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for owner E. Boyle, for the local lumber trade.
• 1863–1866: Operated along the western Lake Michigan coast, hauling lumber south to Chicago.

Final Voyage & Loss

• Date of Incident: Saturday, August 11, 1866, approximately 11:00 PM.
• Location: Just south of Kenosha Harbor, within sight of the south pier.
• Cargo: Lumber destined for Chicago.
• Weather: Severe rainstorm and gale, part of a mid-August squall event.

Sequence of Events (per newspaper accounts):

• While approaching Kenosha Harbor, the Elizabeth attempted to ride out the storm close to shore.
• The anchor was dropped just outside the harbor entrance, but the cable parted.
• She drifted stern-first into shallow water, sprung a leak, lost her rudder, and settled into the sand.
• Crew survived, with no injuries reported.

Newspaper Coverage:

• Kenosha Telegraph, 8/16/1866: First report of stranding.
• Milwaukee Sentinel, 8/21/1866: Declared a total loss, cargo removed.
• Milwaukee Sentinel, 11/17/1866: Fittings salvaged for a new scow under construction.

Disposition

• Declared total loss.
• Cargo salvaged and vessel stripped.
• Outfitting reused on a new vessel at Ellsworth & Davidson yard.

Current Status:

• Believed buried under fill at the former Chrysler Motors plant or Wolfenbuttel Park shoreline, Kenosha.
• Consensus of 1989 site report: Wreck unlikely to be in open water.

Located By & Modern Research

• 1989: Carol Lohry Cartwright’s report for Wisconsin’s historic shipwreck survey documented likely wreck area under filled shoreline.
• Site Condition: Presumed intact but buried; not currently dive-accessible.

Notmars & Advisories

• None recorded; loss occurred in shallow water near harbor.

Resources & Archival References

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes – Schooner loss reports
• Great Lakes Vessels Database – BGSU HCGL – Elizabeth (1863)
• Wisconsin Historical Society Shipwreck Database
• Kenosha Telegraph, August 16, 1866
• Milwaukee Sentinel, August 21 & November 17, 1866
• Cartwright, Carol Lohry. Report on Shipwrecks “Elizabeth” and “Hans Crocker” Off Kenosha Harbor, June 2, 1989

Shore Dive Information

• Not a dive site – buried beneath landfill.
• Shallow water hazard zone historically; no submerged remains accessible.
• Nearest Emergency: Kenosha Fire & Rescue, (262) 656-1234.

Conclusion

The Elizabeth (1863) is a representative early lumber schooner of Lake Michigan, significant for illustrating pre-industrial shoreline trade. Though a total loss in 1866, she left no casualties and her remains likely lie entombed under modern shoreline fill. Archaeological investigation would require ground-penetrating radar or controlled excavation.

Keywords & Categories

• Region: Lake Michigan, Kenosha WI
• Vessel Type: Wooden 2-masted schooner
• Cause of Loss: Stranding during storm, cable parted
• Cargo: Lumber
• Period: 1860s Great Lakes lumber trade
• Dive Difficulty: Inaccessible / buried

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