AH-WR-0303

Ossahinta

Passenger Steamer · United States · Lost 1914 · The Finger Lakes

A small propeller steamboat named for an Onondaga chief, burned to the waterline near Ten Mile Point after decades carrying lake excursionists.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1878 to a design by Edward R. Bowdish and named for Chief Ossahinta of the Onondaga Nation, this 68-foot steamboat carried charter groups and excursionists on Skaneateles Lake for over three decades. After being retired and partially salvaged, she was burned to the waterline near Ten Mile Point in 1914. The site was documented with 3D photogrammetry by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology in 2022.

Vessel

Built: 1878
Builder: Alonzo W. Springstead
Yard: Geneva, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 68 ft
Beam: 11 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single propeller
Owners: George S. Cady (by the 1890s)

Loss

Date: January 1, 1914
Cause: Fire
Location: Near Ten Mile Point, Skaneateles Lake
Water: Skaneateles Lake
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 30
Condition: Burned hull resting on a slope, documented by 3D photogrammetry survey in 2022.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 42.83° N 76.31° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Skaneateles, New York
Region: The Finger Lakes

General area only: coordinate of Ten Mile Point from USGS topographic data (GNIS feature, Cape class), marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.