AH-WR-1587

Free Democrat

Schooner · United States · Lost 1879 · Door County & Lake Michigan

She struck a boulder while carrying wood salvaged from the schooner Warren.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Free Democrat was a wooden schooner. She carried cargo on Lake Michigan. She struck a boulder while carrying wood salvaged from the schooner Warren. Her hull flooded and the schooner Cuba rescued the crew.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: December 13, 1879
Cause: Grounding
Location: East shore of Baileys Harbor
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
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: East shore of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin
Region: Door County & Lake Michigan

No verified wreck coordinates used; historical loss locality only.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

The inventory gives construction as 1853 in its builder field and 1854 in its narrative; the year and exact wreck position remain unresolved.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks: Free Democrat
Vessel identity, construction history, service, historical loss locality and loss circumstances.