Unexpectedly discovered by a local boater last year, the Frank D. Barker joins Wisconsin’s official list of historic places
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin is celebrating the addition of the Frank D. Barker shipwreck to the State Register of Historic Places, the 100th shipwreck in the state to receive the designation after the listing was made official at a State Historic Preservation Review Board meeting earlier today. The milestone highlights the dedication of WisHistory’s nationally recognized underwater archaeology team to document important historic sites throughout the state and provides an opportunity to reflect on Wisconsin’s rich maritime heritage.
“Today is an exciting day for the diligent and hardworking maritime archeologists and many other staff members whose efforts made the 100th shipwreck listing on the State Register of Historic Places possible,” said Christian Overland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society. “This milestone is an example of WisHistory’s mission in action, and highlights our commitment to sharing and preserving Great Lakes history for future generations.”
In July 2025, Captain Matt Olson discovered the submerged Frank D. Barker shipwreck while scouting sites around Door County. After Olson reported the find to the State Historic Preservation Office, WisHistory maritime archaeologists conducted follow-up dives and identified the wreck as the long-lost Frank D. Barker, whose exact location had been lost for more than a century. The discovery revealed that the vessel’s hull lies open, but all components of the ship remain present on the lakebed.
Built in 1867 by Simon G. Johnson in Clayton, New York, the 137-foot, two-masted wooden Frank D. Barker is a unique Great Lakes vessel designed to transport grain from Milwaukee and Chicago to Lake Ontario and return with coal from Lake Erie. In 1887, while traveling from Manistee, Michigan, toward Escanaba, Michigan, the ship ran off course in foggy conditions and struck a limestone outcropping, and the captain and crew became stranded south of Spider Island. Multiple salvage attempts in 1887 and 1888 failed, resulting in the vessel’s total loss.
The State Register of Historic Places was established in 1987 through Wisconsin Act 395 and is the state’s official list of properties determined to be significant to the state’s heritage. Today, more than 2,600 places throughout Wisconsin are listed on the State Register. The program documents and recognizes places of historical significance, safeguarding Wisconsin’s heritage for future generations.
More Information:
- Read the August 2025 press release about the initial discovery of the Frank D. Barker.
- Access additional information about the State and National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin.
- Explore Wisconsin Shipwrecks, a website dedicated to sharing Great Lakes Shipwrecks through underwater video, historic photographs and archaeological discoveries.
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.
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.
