Search below for stories about ships, lighthouses, sailors and anything else about life on Lake Michigan. The database contains references to articles from the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record (June 12, 1873 to Jan. 7, 1927), the Door County Advocate (Nov. 8, 1861 to Dec. 22, 1949), and the Manitowoc Pilot (June 14, 1859 to Dec. 28, 1899). The results will direct you to the date and page in these newspapers where the article can be found.
Microfilm copies of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, Algoma Public Library in Algoma. Microfilm copies of the Door County Advocate are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, the Door County Public Library in Sturgeon Bay, and the Brown County Library in Green Bay. Microfilm of the Manitowoc Pilot are available at the Manitowoc County Historical Society, the Manitowoc Public Library, and the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.
Check with your local library about obtaining the microfilm via interlibrary loan.
| Newspaper | Object | Name | Date | Page | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Finch | 1894-08-09 | 3 | Arrived from the south with a large amount of merchandise as back freight. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | William Finch | 1894-11-08 | 3 | The William Finch cleared last Thursday for Racine, with a cargo of shingles. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | William Finch | 1893-02-23 | 3 | Capt. Michael Wenninger is overhauling and partially rebuilding his vessel. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Finch | 1893-08-17 | 3 | Has a cargo of shingles for S. L. Hall and Zastrow & Sanderman for Racine. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Finch | 1895-10-17 | 3 | The schooner William Finch cleared yesterday for Racine, with a cargo of shingles from Paul Gavlowsky & Co's mills in this city. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | William Finch | 1896-04-23 | 3 | The scow William Finch cleared Tuesday for Sturgeon Bay. She has several charters up around the Peninsula and southern ports. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | William Finch | 1896-04-30 | 3 | The scow William Finch arrived here last Monday, from Menominee, with a cargo of lumber for Paul Hgablowsky & Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | William Finch | 1896-05-21 | 3 | The scow William Finch cleared for Manistee Friday, with a cargo of hay and oats for W. Seyk & Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Finch | 1895-04-25 | 3 | The schooners Industry and William Finch were headed off by a change of the wind and ran back to this port. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Finch | 1887-04-16 | 3 | Run into by scow and sunk |
This database is a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. The project is spearheaded by WUAA member Russel Leitz, who helped develop a framework for the database and painstakingly combed through 54 years of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record, 87 years of the Door County Advocate and 40 years of the Manitowoc Pilot for maritime news. The more than 50,000 references are the fruit of his labor alone.