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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Wind Point in Racine County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes) |
Schooner Kate Kelly
Historic Shipwreck
— Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails —
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By Paul Fehrenbach, May 9, 2011 | |
| | | 1. Schooner Kate Kelly Marker | | |
Inscription. Type: Wooden schooner, two-masted
Built: 1867, Martell, Tonawanda, N.Y.; Rebuilt 1875-1876
Sank: May 14, 1895
Length: 126’ Beam: 25’
Cargo: Grain, coal, and lumber
Depth: 55’
Lives Lost: 7
About two miles offshore from here, the wooden schooner Kate Kelly lies broken and scattered in 55 feet of water. She had departed Alpena, Mich., in early May 1895, loaded with railroad ties and bound for her home port of Chicago. In command was Captain Hartley J. Hatch, one of the Great Lakes’ most experienced captains. He had led Great Lakes schooners and steamers on trips to south Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and Europe. Captain Hatch was also an inventor and had outfitted the Kate Kelly with novel life-saving devices that were “a wonder to all lakemen.”
On May 13, the Kate Kelly encountered a raging storm that proved too much for her and Captain Hatch’s inventions. She sank just short of her home port, as farmers watched helplessly from the shore. Soon, the only signs of the Kate Kelly were her masts protruding from the water and thousands of railroad ties floating off Wind Point. Captain Hatch and all six crewmen perished.
During her three decades of service, the Kate Kelly made many long trips hauling grain and coal between Lake Michigan ports and Kingston, Ontario. | | | | 
By Paul Fehrenbach, May 9, 2011 | |
| | | 2. Schooner Kate Kelly Marker | | Looking out to Lake Michigan | | |
Similar wooden schooners dominated Great Lakes shipping after the Civil War. Even with stiff competition from steam vessels, the adaptable vessels survived on the lakes into the 1930’s.
Erected by Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Wisconsin’s Maritime Trails marker series.
Location. 42° 46.879′ N, 87° 45.468′ W. Marker is in Wind Point, Wisconsin, in Racine County. Marker can be reached from Lighthouse Drive ¼ mile south of Four Mile Road. Click for map. Marker is located on the Lake Michigan shore at Wind Point Lighthouse. Marker is in this post office area: Racine WI 53402, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. The Wind Point Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Cream Brick Cottages / Cream Brick (approx. 2.7 miles away); Racine County Historical Museum (approx. 4 miles away); 1888 Bohemian School House (approx. 4.1 miles away); The Blake House / Lucius S. Blake (approx. 4.3 miles away); Green Bay Road (approx. 4.5 miles away); Southside Historic District/ Southside Historic District Parks (approx. 4.7 miles away); 32nd Division Memorial Highway (approx. 4.9 miles away). | | | | 
By Paul Fehrenbach, May 9, 2011 | |
| | | 3. Schooner Kate Kelly | | Historic photo of the schooner Beers, similar to the Kate Kelly. Image courtesy of Historic Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University | | |
More about this marker. This is a Wisconsin's Maritime Trails marker.
Also see . . .
1. Wisconsin Ship Wrecks. (Submitted on May 12, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin.)
2. Wisconsin Maritime Trails. (Submitted on May 12, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin.)
Additional keywords. Shipwrecks |
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By Paul Fehrenbach, May 9, 2011 | |
| | | 4. Schooner Kate Kelly | | Archaelogical Site Plan | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on May 10, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 451 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 10, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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