Keith Meverden (608) 221-5909,Wisconsin Historical Society, keith.meverden@wisconsinhistory.org

From 1870 to 1903, the James Davidson shipyard in West Bay City, Mich., pushed the limits of wooden ship construction beyond anything the world had ever known. At a time when other shipyards had converted to iron and steel, Davidson continued setting new size records for wooden vessels. Four of Davidson’s vessels have been archaeologically documented in Wisconsin; this project includes documenting the remaining two—the Australasia, which lies off Whitefish Dunes State Park, and the Adriatic, which lies within the city of Sturgeon Bay. Documentation of the Australasia will include constructing an interpretive display in partnership with Whitefish Dunes State Park. Documentation of the Adriatic will aid decision makers in development of the Sturgeon Bay waterfront while preserving an important historic vessel. Collected data will be used to evaluate and nominate both sites according to National Register of Historic Places criteria. C/SCD-2

Wisconsin's Water Library has reading lists on many different topics.  Take a look at the Great Lakes shipwrecks reading list.