Identification & Site Information

  • Name(s): William Penn
  • Year Built: 1826
  • Built at: Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Final Location: Near Erie, PA, Lake Erie
  • Date Lost: 1837 (dismantled after damage in 1836)
  • Cause of Loss: Dismantled following storm damage

Vessel Type

  • Type: Steamer
  • Role: Passenger and freight service; also military charter
  • Construction: Wooden Hull
  • Powerplant: Sidewheel, Crosshead engine
  • Propulsion: 38″ cylinder condensing steam engine; 120 hp; 20-foot paddlewheels

Description

The William Penn was an early Lake Erie sidewheel Steamer with wooden construction. She was powered by a single-cylinder crosshead condensing steam engine driving 20′ diameter paddlewheels. Her engine design and construction made her relatively powerful for her time.

  • Length: 28.96 m (95 ft)
  • Beam: 7.62 m (25 ft)
  • Depth: 2.44 m (8 ft)
  • Tonnage (old style): 214 tons

History

  • 1826, May 11: Enrolled at Presque Isle (Erie), Pennsylvania.
  • 1826, May 18: Launched. Began service between Erie and Buffalo, NY.
  • 1827–1829: Multiple mechanical failures including broken flywheel flanges; operated along Buffalo–Green Bay route.
  • 1829, Oct: Rescued 11 people from the Schooner DAUNTLESS, sunk below Erie.
  • 1830, May 22: Collided with Steamer PIONEER on Lake Erie; two lives lost.
  • 1832: Chartered by U.S. War Department for troop and munitions transport to Chicago during tensions with Indigenous groups.
  • 1836, May 26: Went ashore and was broken up during fog and a gale.
  • 1837: Fully dismantled due to irreparable storm damage.

Final Disposition

After suffering severe damage in a fog and gale in May 1836, the William Penn was hauled ashore and dismantled in 1837. There is no indication that any substantial wreck remains survived.

Located By & Date Found

  • Status: No wreck located.
  • Presumed Site: Near Erie, Pennsylvania shoreline.

NOTMARs & Advisories

None noted.

Resources & Links

  • Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
  • Labadie Collection
  • Enrollments and Customs Records, Presque Isle (Erie), PA
  • Early American Steamers, Erik Heyl
  • U.S. War Department transport logs, 1832

Conclusion

The William Penn represents one of the earliest commercial steamers to operate consistently on Lake Erie. Her role extended beyond commerce to emergency rescue and federal military use, emphasizing her importance in the 1820s–30s Great Lakes transport network. Though her service ended relatively early, her legacy remains in the development of early Steamboat routes and mechanical innovation on the Great Lakes.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

Early steamers, sidewheel, wooden Hull, passenger Steamer, War of 1832, U.S. military transport, Lake Erie history, Erie PA maritime, early marine disasters, mechanical failure.