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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1896-04-11 | 5 | Being fitted out | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1890-06-12 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch arrived on Tuesday and is loading brick for Wm. Schaf, to Sturgeon Bay. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1890-07-17 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch arrived from the south Monday, and left on Tuesday for Clay Banks to load with wood and bark, for Milwaukee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1890-11-13 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch, loaded with wood, laid in this port during the heavy gale last Saturday night. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1890-05-29 | 3 | The scows Lady Ellen and Wm. Finch both arrived on Thursday morning, from the south and will load here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1890-04-10 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch loaded 650 M cedar shingles for H. Derjen & Co. and left for Racine on Sunday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1895-08-08 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch has cleared for Racine, with a cargo of shingles. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1895-08-01 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch arrived here from the south last Thursday, with a back freight consisting of merchandise. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1895-05-23 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch arrived Tuesday from Racine and Milwaukee, with a cargo of back freight for local Merchants. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1895-09-19 | 3 | Arrived from the south with a large amount of back freight, consisting of coal and merchandise. |
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.