AHNAPEE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the John Evensen Shipwreck near the Town of Ahnapee (Kewaunee County) on the State Register of Historic Places. The shipwreck is submerged in Lake Michigan in 48 feet of water. Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Amy Wyatt and Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen presented a certificate to Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck.
The John Evenson was constructed by Principal Carpenter John Evenson at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1884 to compete for harbor towing at Milwaukee. It operated primarily at Milwaukee and Sturgeon Bay. For the last five years of its career, it was used to transport stone barges for harbor projects around Lake Michigan. John Evenson caught fire several times throughout its service but was rebuilt to the original proportions.
On June 5, 1895, John Evenson answered the signal of the steamer I. Watson Stephenson for
assistance entering the Sturgeon Bay ship canal with two consort schooner barges. While picking up the I. Watson Stephenson’s towline, John Evenson passed in front of the steamer’s bow. The tug was rolled over and sank in a matter of minutes carrying one of the crew down with the ship. The vessel was valued at $3,500 but carried only fire insurance. Attempts to raise and salvage the vessel were short-lived and it was declared a total loss.
The John Evenson site was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society archaeologists
and volunteers in September 2024 and has not been visited by divers outside of the survey. The site has already produced a wealth of archaeological knowledge and has the potential to yield additional important archaeological data in future years. The vessel rests on its port side. Its hull bed is present along with major pieces of its machinery including boiler, steam engine, propeller and rudder. Additional hull components may remain in the adjacent area and extant beneath the sand. As one of only a few examples of a harbor tug in Wisconsin waters, John Evenson provides historians and archaeologists the chance to study wooden tugboat construction
State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting this site. Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. More information on Wisconsin’s historic shipwrecks may be found by visiting Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shipwrecks website: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Home#anchor3
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: www.wisconsinhistory.org.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
