Glenham (1860)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Glenham
• Type: Scow
• Year Built: 1860
• Builder: Unknown
• Dimensions: Not recorded
• Registered Tonnage: Not recorded
• Location: Approximately 1 mile north of Hitt & Davidson’s Clay Banks pier
• Original Owners: Unknown
• Number of Masts: 0 masts

Wreck Location Map

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

Significant Incidents

• 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

Final Disposition

• 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

Current Condition & Accessibility

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

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”glenham-1860″ title=”References & Links”]

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.