AH-WR-1714

Abner Howes

Scow-Schooner · United States · Lost 1871 · Door County & Lake Michigan

Abner Howes dragged anchor and became a total loss at Ahnapee in September 1871.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Abner Howes was a wooden two-masted scow-schooner used for Great Lakes merchant freight. She was salvaged and rebuilt after capsizing in Lake Erie in 1866. On September 22, 1871, she dragged anchor during a storm and went ashore north of the north pier at Ahnapee. She became a total loss without casualties.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Registry: US registry no. 1495
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 70 ft
Beam: 20 ft
Tonnage: 65.10 gross tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: September 22, 1871
Cause: Grounding
Location: North of the north pier at Ahnapee, Wisconsin
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Clay Banks, Wisconsin
Cargo: Supplies for Hitt and Davidson at Clay Banks
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Algoma, Wisconsin (then Ahnapee)
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Construction particulars conflict within the source; exact wreck position, depth and present condition are unconfirmed.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks
Identity, two-masted scow-schooner rig, dimensions, final wreck date and chronology; construction conflicts and unconfirmed position disclosed.