The Wisconsin Historical Society has added the Jennibel shipwreck to the State Register of Historic Places. The shipwreck lies in 105 feet of water in Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, 9 miles west of Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
Built in 1863 at the Stoakes & Locklin shipyard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the 19th-century schooner Jennibel spent her working life hauling lumber and bulk cargo throughout the Great Lakes. Despite several groundings and collisions, her original lines remained intact.
On September 17, 1881, while transiting the treacherous Deaths Door Passage en route from Egg Harbor to Milwaukee with a load of green lumber and tan bark, a sudden gale capsized the vessel. The tug John Gregory rescued the crew and attempted to tow the schooner to safety, but Jennibel sank off Chambers Island. Valued at $2,500 and uninsured, she was ultimately abandoned after failed salvage attempts.
Today, Jennibel rests upright on the lakebed, largely intact and offering archaeologists a rare glimpse into early wooden schooner construction. Protected under state and federal law, the shipwreck is preserved as an important piece of Wisconsin’s maritime heritage.
Learn more at wisconsinshipwrecks.org and wisconsinhistory.org.
zach whiterock
