The Hetty Taylor is owned by the State of Wisconsin and is managed by the Wisconsin Historical Society with assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Like all historic shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters, the Hetty Taylor is protected under Wisconsin law as a state-owned archaeological site.

Robert (l) and Charles (r) Tom, volunteers with the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, spent several years conducting the archaeological survey of the Hetty Taylor. Their documentation included the site map featured here.

As with many other wrecks in the Great Lakes, zebra mussels have colonized the Hetty Taylor . These prolific mollusks are very difficult to control, and further colonization appears inevitable.

Through the research conducted by the Wisconsin Historical Society,
the Hetty Taylor has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dive guides to the Hetty Taylor and six other shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan are now available .  These are similar to the set produced for Wisconsin's Lake Superior shipwrecks and were produced by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the UW Sea Grant Institute.  Additional information about diving at the Hetty Taylor site is available in local dive shops.

Learn more about Protecting Our Heritage in the Diver's Area.