DOOR COUNTY, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the F.J. King Shipwreck in the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 2026. The intact schooner is located in Lake Michigan near Liberty Grove, in Door County.

The schooner F.J. King was constructed by Master Shipbuilder George R. Rogers in 1867 in Toledo, Ohio. It operated in the Great Lakes grain, coal, lumber, and iron ore trades and experienced groundings and collisions that required repair. The schooner was re-rigged as a three-masted schooner in 1885, but the ship lines remained the same throughout its history.

On September 15, 1886, F.J. King was sailing with a cargo of iron ore collected at Escanaba, Michigan, bound for Chicago. In a heavy wind, it sprang a leak that could not be controlled. The captain turned the ship around, but it became unmanageable, rolling heavily in the seas. After the crew signaled for assistance, they fled to the yawl with their luggage and were picked up by the passing schooner La Petite. The F.J. King went down by its bow with the masts breaking the surface of the water. Although salvage attempts were made to recover the ship, it was ultimately abandoned.

The F.J. King shipwreck site was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologists and volunteers in August and October 2025. The site has produced a wealth of archaeological knowledge and has the potential to yield additional important archaeological data in future years. The vessel sits upright with the hull intact; however, damage sustained during its sinking is evident at the bow. Additionally, its cabin blew off due to expanding air pressure in its hull as it plunged to the lake bottom, which damaged the sides of the ship’s hull near the location of the cabin. All hull components remain intact on the ship or hidden within its hull, and some are scattered on the surrounding lakebed.

State and federal laws protect this shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structures 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: Wisconsin Shipwrecks.

Additional information about the F.J. King Shipwreck is available.

Learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin.

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 www.wisconsinhistory.org.