KEWAUNEE COUNTY, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the John Evenson Shipwreck in the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2026. The tugboat is located in Lake Michigan near the town of Ahnapee and city of Algoma, in Kewaunee County.
The tugboat John Evenson is flattened and rolled onto its port side on the bottom of Lake Michigan in 48 feet of water. The shipwreck lies with its hull opened, exposing the interior structural components for examination of its construction, which include an intact drivetrain with the boiler, engine, propeller shaft, thrust bearing, propeller and rudder, as well as its keel, keelson and frames.
John Evenson was constructed by Principal Carpenter John Evenson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1884. The vessel was built for harbor towing and 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 same 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 its towline, John Evenson passed in front of the steamer’s bow. The tug 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, which was documented by Wisconsin Historical Society archaeologists and volunteers in September 2024, 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. Its hullbed 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 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.
Additional information for the John Evenson Shipwreck is available here.
Click here to 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.
