Identification & Site Information
- Name: Newburyport
- Built: 1829, likely in Massachusetts or a Great Lakes shipyard
- Vessel Type: Wooden Schooner (common in that era for freight/passenger use)
- Final Voyage & Loss: October 1834, lost on Great Lakes due to stranding
- Lake: Most likely Lake Huron or Lake Michigan (exact location unspecified)
- Cause: Storm suspected (indicated by query “Oct**(storm)?”), but official notes only mention “stranded and lost.”
- Fatalities: Not recorded—assumed none, but unconfirmed
Vessel Type & Description
- Estimated Dimensions & Tonnage: No direct records; typical 1820s schooners ranged from 60–90 ft in length and 50–150 tons.
- Rigging: Two‑masted fore‑and‑aft Schooner
- Construction: Likely white oak or pine planking; no enrollment records located
- Use: General-purpose freight or passenger trade
Historical Context
- The Great Lakes were seeing growing Schooner use in the 1820–30s, especially on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
- The storm-prone season in October frequently caused strandings on shoals and river sandbars.
- Enrollment and documentation during this early period were inconsistent, especially for smaller schooners
Final Voyage & Loss
- Official log entry (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, “N” list) simply states: “Stranded and lost, October 1834.” 22 PM N (greatlakesrex.wordpress.com, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, nshoremag.com)
- No notation of weather or cargo—“storm” is inferred but not confirmed
- Precise coordinates, ownership, master, and cargo details are absent
Archival Gaps & Research Recommendations
| Unknown Area | Suggested Research Strategy |
|---|---|
| Construction details | Inspect U.S. enrollment or early maritime record collections at National Archives and Port of Detroit registers |
| Ownership & master | Pursue ship news in 1829–1834 regional newspapers (Detroit Gazette, Chicago Democratic) |
| Incident specifics | Examine 1834 Port officials’ logs or river harbor board minutes for strandings |
| Crew & casualties | Analyze survivorship via Life-Saving Service correspondence (if any) or local cemetery inscriptions |
| Possible dive location | Map Lake Michigan and Huron shoals known for early Schooner strandings; compare with local folklore or oral histories |
Conclusion
Newburyport remains one of the earliest, least-documented Great Lakes casualties. The lack of archival records is typical for small schooners of the 1830s. Determining its story requires deep-dive archival work—looking into early port books, regional newspapers, and pioneer maritime logs.
- A newspaper search plan with issue dates and microfilm targets
- Archive contacts (Detroit Public Library, National Archives Detroit)
- Suggested reference to early maritime casualty leads