Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: T.S. Faxton
- Type: Paddle-wheel excursion steamer, later converted to freight/scow steamer
- Year Built: Circa 1874
- Builder:
- Dimensions: Not specified
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Marine City, Michigan
- Official Number: Not located in records
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Originally designed as a large paddle-wheel excursion steamer, she later became a smaller freight/scow steamer serving agricultural lines and freighting needs on Lake St. Clair.
Description
The T.S. Faxton was a quintessential late-19th-century excursion paddle-wheeler, boasting three passenger decks and room for over 1,200 passengers for summer lake excursions. Later in her life, she was converted to a freight-hauling scow steamer, better suited for hauling goods rather than passengers. The conversion left her as a functional but utilitarian vessel.
History
Commissioned in the 1870s as an excursion steamer, the T.S. Faxton delighted tourists and local passengers in the Thousand Islands region for decades. In her later years, she was re-assigned to freight duties on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River corridor, transitioning to hauling agricultural produce and other cargo. By 1901, she was permanently based at Marine City.
Significant Incidents
- Caught fire while tied up at the dock on 20 October 1901.
- Burned to the waterline and was declared a total loss; no recorded fatalities, crew reportedly escaped safely.
Final Disposition
On 20 October 1901, while moored at Marine City dock, the Faxton caught fire and burned down to the waterline. Her hull was destroyed, and she was declared a total loss immediately thereafter. No attempt was made to preserve or rebuild her, ending her 25-year career.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No wreck site recorded, as the burned hull was likely scrapped at dock and removed. No remains documented either floating or submerged.
No wreckage remains in navigable waters—there’s no hazard to navigation. The wreck was terminal and dockside, so no marine markers or underwater artifacts exist.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”t-s-faxton-1874″ title=”References & Links”]
The T.S. Faxton serves as an example of paddle-steamer versatility—transitioning from grand excursion voyages to practical commercial service. Her final chapter, a dockside conflagration on 20 October 1901, underscores the persistent fire hazards of wooden steamers. Though she ended quietly, her memory lives on in regional maritime histories.
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
- Name: T.S. Faxton
- Former Names: Named after Theodore S. Faxton of Utica, NY (findagrave.com)
- Official Number: Not located in records
- Date Built & Launched: Circa 1874 (side‐wheel steamer) or 1880s (passenger excursion vessel) (findagrave.com)
- Measurements: Three‐deck paddle‐wheeler originally built to carry ~1,200 passengers; later repurposed as a freight/scow steamer on Lake St. Clair (findagrave.com)
- Type: Paddle‐wheel excursion steamer, later converted to freight/scow steamer
- Cargo at Loss: Not loaded — operating dry as a freight vessel at dockside
- Date Lost: 20 October 1901
- Place of Loss: Marine City, Michigan, on Lake St. Clair (atf.gov, findagrave.com)
- Circumstance: Caught fire while tied up at the dock; burned to the waterline and was a total loss; no recorded fatalities, crew reportedly escaped safely
Vessel Type
Originally designed as a large paddle‐wheel excursion steamer, she later became a smaller freight/scow steamer serving agricultural lines and freighting needs on Lake St. Clair.
Description
The T.S. Faxton was a quintessential late‐19th-century excursion paddle‐wheeler, boasting three passenger decks and room for over 1,200 passengers for summer lake excursions. Later in her life, she was converted to a freight‐hauling scow steamer, better suited for hauling goods rather than passengers. The conversion left her as a functional but utilitarian vessel.
History
Commissioned in the 1870s as an excursion steamer, the T.S. Faxton delighted tourists and local passengers in the Thousand Islands region for decades (findagrave.com). In her later years, she was re‐assigned to freight duties on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River corridor, transitioning to hauling agricultural produce and other cargo. By 1901, she was permanently based at Marine City.
Final Disposition
On 20 October 1901, while moored at Marine City dock, the Faxton caught fire and burned down to the waterline. Her hull was destroyed, and she was declared a total loss immediately thereafter . No attempt was made to preserve or rebuild her, ending her 25-year career.
Located By & Date Found
No wreck site recorded, as the burned hull was likely scrapped at dock and removed. No remains documented either floating or submerged.
Notations & Advisories
No wreckage remains in navigable waters—there’s no hazard to navigation. The wreck was terminal and dockside, so no marine markers or underwater artifacts exist.
Resources & Links
- Find-a-Grave profile for Theodore S. Faxton with historical details on the vessel named after him; confirms fire loss at Marine City in 1901 (findagrave.com)
Conclusion
The T.S. Faxton serves as an example of paddle‐steamer versatility—transitioning from grand excursion voyages to practical commercial service. Her final chapter, a dockside conflagration on 20 October 1901, underscores the persistent fire hazards of wooden steamers. Though she ended quietly, her memory lives on in regional maritime histories.
Keywords: paddle‐wheel steamer, Minnesota excursion vessel, Lake St. Clair scow steamer, dockside fire, Marine City maritime loss
Categories: Great Lakes shipwrecks | paddle‐wheel excursion steamers | dockside fire wrecks | Lake St. Clair vessels