The wooden three masted bark George L. Newman was built in Black River, Ohio in 1855 by Benjamin Flint. The vessel was valued at $8,800 and rated B1.

October 27, 1856: Schooner G.L. Newman, and brig Sultan collided off Presqu'Isle, the former jetted 70 tons of coal.

1861: Some repairs were made.

June 1867: Collied with the propeller Chafee near Milwaukee sustaining $200 in damage.

Last Document Of Enrollment Surrendered: Milwaukee: 3/31/1874: "Total Loss on October 1871".
In October of 1871, the three masted bark G.L.Newman of Racine, with a cargo of lumber from Little Suamico (west side of Green Bay just north of the city of Green Bay), went ashore on the southeast point of Green island. The Green Bay Advocate of October 19, 1871, reported that Captain Trowell of the schooner Saginaw said the Newman to be "full of water, her cabin washed out and ... is abandoned as a wreck."

On October 8, 1871 at 9 o'clock in the evening the bark George L. Newman sailing blind from the smoke generated from the Great Peshtigo Fire, ran aground on the shoals on the southeast side of Green Island. The smoke was so thick that the Green Island lighthouse keeper, Samual Drew, had kept the light on during the day. Keeper Drew helped rescue the crew, who stayed at the lighthouse for a week while they salvaged what they could from the wrecked vessel.