Vessel Identification & Profile
- Name: Emily and Eliza
- Official Number: 36582
- Year Built: 1878, by Anspaugh Bros., Oak Harbor, OH
- Vessel Type: Scow‑Schooner (wooden)
- Dimensions: 78 ft × 21 ft × 5 ft, 64 gross tons (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
Operational History
- Originally operated by Anspaugh Bros (Port Clinton, Ohio) for coastal cargo
- Later owned by the House of David, Benton Harbor, MI—an industrial-lumber sect(Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)
- Specialized in hauling cedar fence posts along Michigan’s shores
Final Voyage & Loss
- Date: September 9, 1910
- Location: Near the mouth of Otter Creek, along Platte Bay near Sleeping Bear Point, Lake Michigan (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, isleauhautmaine.us)
- Cargo: Cedar fence posts
- Cause: Blown ashore during a storm while taking on lumber; wrecked and pounded apart
- Casualties: None reported
Historical Significance
- Official No. 36582; classified as a scow‑Schooner, 78′ × 21′ × 5′, 64 gross tons (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
- Lost in a storm on September 9, 1910, near Platte Bay, close to Sleeping Bear, while loading cedar fence posts. The vessel was owned by the House of David out of Benton Harbor, Michigan (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
The Emily and Eliza typifies late-era scow‑schooners that served niche lumber markets. Her loss near Platte Bay during lumber loading operations underscores the persistent hazard of storms, even in near-shore work. Owned by the House of David—a unique collective with industrial interests—she represents a convergence of maritime commerce and regional sectarian enterprise.