Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Elizabeth (1863)

Explore the history of the Elizabeth, a 2-masted schooner lost in a storm in 1866, with its remains likely buried beneath modern shoreline fill.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Elizabeth
  • Type: 2-masted schooner
  • Year Built: 1863
  • Builder: Unknown Milwaukee shipyard (possibly Ellsworth & Davidson yard)
  • Dimensions: Length 40.50 ft (12.34 m); Beam 12.80 ft (3.90 m); Depth of hold 4.60 ft (1.40 m)
  • Registered Tonnage: Not registered
  • Location: Just south of Kenosha Harbor, Wisconsin
  • Coordinates: 42° 35.110' N, 87° 48.380' W
  • Official Number: None located
  • Original Owners: E. Boyle (Milwaukee)
  • Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

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.

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.

Significant Incidents

  • 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.

Final Disposition

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

Current Condition & Accessibility

  • 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.

Resources & Links

References are being reviewed for this wreck.

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.