Jane Mason US 76139

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Jane Mason
• Type: Two-masted wooden schooner
• Year Built: 1880
• Builder: James Huxtable, Sand Beach, Michigan
• Dimensions: Length: 59.5 ft (18.1 m); Beam: 15.3 ft (4.7 m); Depth of hold: 5.8 ft (1.8 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 33 tons (rebuilt to 48 tons in 1889)
• Location: Near Oscoda, Michigan
• Coordinates: Not recorded
• Official Number: 76139
• Original Owners: Charles Grice, Chloe Oldred, John Henry Beck
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Jane Mason was a small, two-masted schooner built of wood in Sand Beach, Michigan, in 1880. Typical of the shallow-draft traders of her day, she was designed for short-haul cargo movements between small Lake Huron ports, transporting building materials, grain, or other commodities.

Description

The Jane Mason was a wooden schooner, originally built in 1880, with a gross tonnage of 33 tons, later increased to 48 tons after a rebuild in 1889. She was primarily used for transporting bricks and lumber.

History

Jane Mason was first enrolled at Port Huron on July 5, 1880, under the ownership of Charles Grice. Over the next decade, she changed hands several times, reflecting her work in the local trade routes of Lake Huron. Chloe Oldred owned her in 1887, followed by John Henry Beck in 1888.

In 1889, the vessel was rebuilt at East Tawas, increasing her registered dimensions to 21.4 metres (70.4 feet) in length, with a gross tonnage of 48 tons.

Throughout her career, she survived minor incidents, including going aground at Sand Beach on September 16, 1881. However, her luck ran out on October 30, 1889, when a storm near Oscoda drove her ashore. The Jane Mason stranded and broke up on the beach while loaded with bricks and lumber.

The vessel’s enrollment documents were officially surrendered at Port Huron on November 20, 1890, finalizing her loss.

Significant Incidents

• Grounded at Sand Beach on September 16, 1881.
• Stranded and wrecked near Oscoda, Michigan, on October 30, 1889, during a storm.

Final Disposition

Stranded and wrecked near Oscoda, Michigan, on Lake Huron, October 30, 1889. Presumed total loss.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Unknown, but as a wooden schooner lost in the surf zone, it is highly probable that the remains were dispersed and lost to shifting sands and storms soon after the wreck.

Resources & Links

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The Jane Mason’s loss was typical of many small wooden schooners working Lake Huron’s building-material trades in the late 19th century. She operated for nearly a decade under several owners, enduring rebuildings and groundings before finally succumbing to a storm. Her brief but hard-working career stands as an example of the countless smaller vessels that supported regional commerce on the Great Lakes.