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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Vessel Name(s): Glenham
• Former Names: None recorded
• Year Built: 1860
• Year Lost: 1873 (grounded and abandoned)
• Dimensions: Not recorded
• Tonnage: Not recorded
• Hull Material: Wood
• Nearest City: Clay Banks, Door County, Wisconsin
• Body of Water: Lake Michigan
• Site Location: Approximately 1 mile north of Hitt & Davidson’s Clay Banks pier
• Water Depth: Likely shallow (<15 ft / 4.5 m)

Vessel Type

• Type: Scow (flat-bottomed cargo vessel)
• Propulsion: None recorded (sailing scows of this period often used square or fore-and-aft sails, but Glenham is described as having 0 masts, suggesting she may have been unrigged and towed)
• Intended Service: Local cargo transport of bulk goods such as bark, wood, and stone

Description

The Glenham was a wooden scow of the mid-19th century, typical of Great Lakes lumber and bark transport operations. Scows were:

• Flat-bottomed barges, often without a keel, intended for easy beaching and loading at small piers
• Used to carry bulk cargo like firewood, tanbark, stone, and sawmill by-products
• Typically considered disposable vessels, with limited lifespans due to heavy service and exposure to weather

The Glenham was “old and rotten” by 1873, implying her hull integrity had significantly declined.

History

• Built: 1860 (builder and port unknown; likely Wisconsin or Michigan)
• Primary Use: Local cargo scow in Lake Michigan nearshore trade
• Cargoes: Tanbark and wood products (bark cargo recorded at time of loss)
• Home Port: Not definitively known; likely Door County, WI area

Final Disposition

• Date of Loss: Late September or early October 1873
• Cause: Grounding in shallow water
• Voyage: Departed Hitt & Davidson’s Clay Banks pier loaded with tanbark
• Event Sequence:
  • Grounded ~1 mile north of Clay Banks pier in Lake Michigan
  • Crew rescued by George Roberts, a local sawmill and dock operator, under difficult conditions
  • Cargo salvaged, vessel abandoned due to dilapidated condition
  • Wreck broke up in place; remains scattered in nearshore waters
• Casualties: Unknown, but none reported drowned

Located By & Site Condition

• Status: Unlocated – No confirmed wreck site identified
• Probable Location: Shallow Lake Michigan waters within 1 mile north of Clay Banks, WI (Door County)
• Condition: Presumed fully broken up; small timbers may remain buried in sand or shore ice scour zone

Notmars & Advisories

• No formal Notices to Mariners issued; small scow losses rarely documented in official bulletins

Resources & References

• Door County Maritime History Records – Clay Banks and Hitt & Davidson’s operations
• Wisconsin Historical Society – Maritime Database (wisconsinshipwrecks.org)
• Local History: Reports from George Roberts’ sawmill, Clay Banks, Door County archives
• Newspaper references:
  • Green Bay Advocate (Sept–Oct 1873) – may contain stranding notices
  • Door County Advocate – potential coverage of salvage and abandonment

Conclusion

The Glenham is a representative example of the temporary, utilitarian scows that supported Wisconsin’s lumber and tanbark trade during the mid-19th century. Its:

• Short operational lifespan (1860–1873)
• Rapid abandonment due to hull deterioration
• Cargo salvage but vessel sacrifice

…highlight the expendable nature of small coastal freight scows on Lake Michigan.

The wreck has not been located, but shallow-water surveys north of Clay Banks may reveal timbers or fastenings buried under sand, which could confirm its final resting place.

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