Unpublished Photographs of the Edmund Fitzgerald highlight new exhibit in 2013

Bob Campbell took this photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald on May 21, 1975. This image, and many others will make up the new exhibit at the Shipwreck Museum in 2013.

The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was launched on June 7, 1958 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works shipyard at River Rouge, Michigan. For seventeen years, "Big Fitz" was a common sight traveling the upper Great Lakes and passing through the Soo Locks. Many amateur photographers captured this now famous vessel on film and have since shared their images with the Shipwreck Society. These photographs will provide the basis for a new temporary exhibit, S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald: Snapshots in Time. 

Scheduled to open in early June 2013, the exhibit illuminates a number of areas of the ship and many of the photos were taken by individuals who traveled as a guest on the ill-fated vessel. Please join us and see this new exhibit! Call 800-635-1742 for more information. 

Ship Ride Raffle 2014

The Paul R. Tregurtha passes through the State Street Bridge in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on her first trip of the 2013 season

Win a trip for 2 persons on one of Interlake Steamship Company's Great Lakes Ore Carriers, to be taken during the shipping season of 2014!

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is announcing its Ship Ride Raffle 2014!  This special fundraiser, to benefit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, has been donated to the Society courtesy of the Interlake Steamship Company.

First and Second Prizes:  A five-day cruise for two persons aboard one of Interlake Steamship Company's Great Lakes Ore Carriers, to be taken during the 2014 shipping season.  Shipboard rules apply, no passengers under 18, current passports required.  All expenses paid but winners are responsible for land transportation to embarkation / debarkation sites.  Two winning tickets (First and Second Prizes) will be drawn.  Raffle tickets are not transferable.

Third Prize:  One alternate winning ticket will be drawn in the event either the First or Second Prize winners cannot participate.  If the alternate is not required, Third Prize is one overnight visit for two in the Crews Quarters at Whitefish Point.

RAFFLE TICKET PRICE IS $100 IN US FUNDS

Raffle drawing will be held on Saturday, August 31, 2013, at 1:00 pm, at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point Michigan.   Winners do not need to be present to win.  Michigan Lottery License # R-21541.

Upon your online purchase, raffle tickets will be mailed immediately.  Please call the Shipwreck Society offices at 800-635-1742 with questions!

Click here to purchase a raffle ticket right now, online!

Special Discount on Crews Quarters in April and May, 2013

Once again, the Shipwreck Society is pleased to offer a special discount on all rooms in the historic 1923 Crews Quarters building during April and May, 2013.  We are enjoying a beautiful winter at Whitefish Point.  All rooms are priced at $125 per evening for non-members, and $100 per evening for current members of the Shipwreck Society.

For more information please click here to go to the Crews Quarter Reservations site.  Member discounts will be applied upon check-in.

The U.S. Coast Guard gentlemen at left are members of the Sector Sault Sainte Marie ATON team and participated in the Shipwreck Museum's Lightkeeper Day in August of 2012.

Annual Appeal Surpasses $11,000 Threshold

The 2012 Annual Appeal Campaign for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has received over $11,000 in gifts to date.  If you have not yet made a contribution to this important fundraiser and wish to do so, please visit our Donation Page.  All contributions to the Shipwreck Society are tax-deductible as the Society is a 501 c (3) charitable organization.

Donations of any size are of great help in our effort to promote appreciation of Great Lakes Maritime History; support new exhibits for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum; and continue historic restoration at the Whitefish Point Light Station.

Please call Sean Ley, Development Officer, at 906-635-1742 with any questions about making a contribution.  Thank you and please enjoy the web site!

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony Marks the End of the 2012 Season at the Shipwreck Museum

Shipwreck Society Staff and Edmund Fitzgerald surviving family members at the 2012 Memorial Ceremony

The Annual Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial ceremony took place at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum this past Saturday, November 10, 2012.  Family members and guests braved wind and rain to gather in the museum gallery for a time of reflection and rememberance. Shipwreck Museum Site Manager Terry Begnoche spoke of GLSHS Fitzgerald expeditions and Operations Manager Bruce Lynn commented on the enduring interest in the lost ship and crew. The Gordon Lightfoot Tribute band, Whispers of the North, played Great Lakes maritime themed music and later played Lightfoot's famous, The Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the museum's centerpiece, rang 30 times to honor the 29 men lost with the ship and the 30th toll of the bell memorialized all mariners lost on the Great Lakes. This event marks the official end to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum's 2012 season. Look for coming events and opening dates for 2013 on this site soon. Thank you to everybody who visited and supported the Shipwreck Society this past season!

A Very Successful Second Annual Whitefish Point: Run For The Light

We are happy to report that we had a record number of runners for the Second Annual Whitefish Point: Run for the Light, this past Saturday, October 13, 2012. Over 120 runners and walkers braved cold temperatures and high winds to complete the course and help raise funds for the third phase of the Whitefish Point Light-tower restoration. We were lucky, in that the rain and subsequent power outage held-off until later in the day. Special thanks go to Health and Fitness magazine, Biz-E-Bee tent rental (Pickford, MI) and the Berry Patch Bakery and Gift Shop (Paradise, MI), all of which donated to or sponsered the event. In addition, much thanks to Bill Sved and the Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club for his advice and energy in timing and scoring the event. A great crew of volunteers, including Barb and Rob Bannan, Pat Rowley, Marty Carnes, Terry Begnoche, Ruth, Ms. Stark, John Griebel, Dale Graham, Renee/ambulance corps and more were invaluable! Finally, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society would like to thank the WFP: Run For The Light organizing committee; Robert and Cindy Koleski, Mike Mullin, Danielle Stark, Sarah Wilde and Bruce Lynn. Watch for our 2013 list of events and the date for the third annual WFP:Run for the Light, to be posted in November.

Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) has supported the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum for many years through a series of cultural grant programs that are designed to promote appreciation of and education in the Fine Arts in Michigan.  The Shipwreck Museum is a current recipient of a Program for Operational Support Award for 2013.

A portion of funds received from MCACA come from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  For more information on cultural programs, please visit  http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Arts/.

Restoration Complete and Fish Boil!

Please click here for the latest news from the Shipwreck Society!

Michigan Humanities Council Funding Restores Shipwreck Museum Panels, adds New Exhibits

Twin exhibit panels about the Carl D. Bradley and Daniel J. Morrell flank a new video history of these famous shipwrecks

The Shipwreck Society is pleased to report that a 2010 Major Grant from Michigan Humanities Council was successfully concluded at the end of November, 2011. This funding has supported professional restoration of selected exhibit panels in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Building, and also funded the addition of new exhibits.

Visitors to the museum in 2012 will enjoy an exciting presentation using new interpretive panels and a video display about the famous shipwrecks Carl D. Bradley and Daniel J. Morrell; a video display featuring Edmund Fitzgerald crew members and unique footage of her as she sailed, compiled from the Shipwreck Society’s collection of historic films of the Fitz; a new animated projection display depicting the location of the many shipwrecks around Whitefish Point; and complete restoration of many existing panels that had suffered the effects of time. This is the first time many Shipwreck Museum exhibits have undergone restoration since their original installation in 1987.

Our thanks go particularly to David Kronberg of Van Abel & Kronberg Design for his dedicated effort during the fall of 2011. We also thank Bruce Lynn, Society Operations Manager, Terry Begnoche, Site Manager, and Sean Ley, Development Officer for their time and expertise applied to completing this project. Steve Brisson, Deputy Director of Mackinac State Historic Parks served as the official Project Evaluator.

The Shipwreck Society extends sincere gratitude to Michigan Humanities Council for this funding. The Shipwreck Museum will open for the new season on May 1, 2012, when the new and restored exhibits will officially open for public viewing.