H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego

Last week, the Maritime Museum featured the Lyman M. Davis - the last commercial schooner to sail the Great Lakes, burned as a spectacle in Toronto Harbor. Burning these commercial schooners on Lake Ontario toward the end of the age of commercial sail on the Lakes occurred on multiple occasions. The two-masted commercial schooner Mary A Daryaw - shown here docked at Oswego's West Pier terminal in the late 1920s - was burned as a public spectacle at Kingston, Ontario on October 15, 1927. She was originally built in 1866 at Port Huron, MI as "Kewaunee" and was 125' long with a registered capacity of 195 gross tons.

The schooner Lyman M. Davis (seen right docked at one of Oswego's east-side trestles) was the last commercial schooner in commission on the Great Lakes, and in its later years sailed the waters of Lake Ontario between Kingston, ON (its home port at that time) and Oswego, NY. The two masted schooner was built in 1873 in Muskegon Michigan and was 195 gross tons, with a length of 123 feet. She was burned as a spectacle off the harbor at Toronto in 1934, with much fan fare, ending the era of commercial sailing on the Great Lakes.

We are live at the Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar, NY, again. It’s egg collection time for coho salmon, another species of Pacific salmon, and DEC Environ...mental Educator Betsy Ukeritis will narrate the process as Videographer Andy Breedlove films it. Betsy does want to note that this process is loud and may have some bloody parts. She reminds viewers that Pacific salmon, including coho, die naturally after they spawn, and to protect staff the fish are euthanized in this process. Educators and homeschoolers interested in resources about harcheries, the egg collection process, and Pacific salmon in NY can reach out to Betsy at [email protected]. See more

This looked like a complete set so I thought you might enjoy having a look at modern signal flags. I was amazed at how they have changed over the past 100 or so years.

One of the most popular questions by guests of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse is about the caisson structure upon which the lighthouse sits. Most assume the station's cast iron lighthouse rests atop solid concrete, but that's not accurate. As seen in the plans below, a timber crib was first constructed, then filled with various rubble, prior to being capped by concrete. The timber crib is periodically inspected for deterioration, but has survived since its initial construction date in 1934. We look forward to getting you all back out to the Lighthouse in 2021!

It's almost winter! This 1856 newspaper etching of Oswego Harbor features the ice mounds not uncommon to the shores of Lake Ontario. The associated article states that the the winter weather "renders the pier a range of the Alps in miniature". The etching features some iconic historic structures that no longer exist, too. The 1837 Oswego Harbor Lighthouse, an earlier version of Fort Ontario, the store house and lumber yard at the end of West 1st Street, the 1830s pier. It gives us a great snapshot at a time when the harbor was much smaller - consisting of just the mouth of the Oswego River. *Also, do not climb on the ice mounds as those in this image are! They're cavernous, and dangerous.*

The age of the great boathouses along the western shore of Oswego Harbor, near what is now Wrights Landing, is long behind us, but we can't help but reminisce once and awhile. These turn of the 20th century images of the Oswego Yacht Club's original location tell us a lot about the historic cultural landscape of Oswego. The site served as their clubhouse between 1881 and 1919 - the year the McCrobie Civic Center was built.

Every once and a while, something fun and unique crossed the threshold of the Maritime Museum. Recently, a patron came by with a message in a bottle that his children found along the shores of Lake Ontario near Fair Haven Beach. The note, found dry in the bottle and written in pencil, reads: "November 12, 1833 Aboard Three Brothers Schooner heading for Port of Oswego, New York.... Carrying apples, cider, and wheat. Weather has turned for the worse. Gale force winds. Captain shall attempt to turn around to Pultneyville origin. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. COR 16:13 Amos Gloyed, French Creek, New York" Unfortunately, after a quick observation, the Maritime Museum’s staff was able to confirm that bottle and its contents were not original to the November, 1833 vessel Three Brothers. That said, someone did put a note in a bottle and it did wash up on shore! Who knows how long it’s been out there? The Schooner three brothers was built by Whitford Gill in 1827 on Galloo Island located at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. The vessel is was a rare example of an early dagger-board schooner, common on the Lake between 1800-1830. On the morning of November 12, 1833 as the note indicated Three Brothers sailed from Pultneyville bound for Oswego with a cargo of apples, cider, and wheat. It did not arrive. All souls lost. On board were Captain John Stevenson, crew members Cephas Field and William Bastian, and a passenger named Amos Gloyed, of French Creek, NY. In 2014, the exploration team of Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens located the schooner utilizing high resolution side scan sonar equipment, getting a first glimpse at the vessel in nearly two centuries. If anyone has any information on who may have wrote the note, we’d love to hear your story and connect you with those who found it! Above artwork of Three Brothers wreck by Roland Stevens.

Did you know there is an island dedicated to a spy in Mexico, New York or that there is a World War II tug that shot down a Nazi plane docked in Oswego’s inner harbor? The new Sailor Sam Canal to Shore Challenge program from the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego will help you answer all of these questions and many more. This program, sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the NYS Canal Corporation, seeks to take participants of all ages o...n a quest to see and learn more about the hidden history along our local waterways. The Museum’s Sailor Sam mascot identifies 23 historic points of interest along the Oswego Canal, Oswego Harbor and Lake Ontario in a Logbook available through the Museum. Individuals, family groups, youth groups, school groups and others can purchase this special Logbook and then visit all 23 sites, learning more about the fascinating and unique stories that unfold at each site. The Challenge is a great way for people to get outside, travel locally, and learn more about the great history along the Oswego Canal and the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario, says Museum Executive Director Mercedes Niess. Our staff has put together a fun roadmap through our history suitable for everyone. It is especially relevant now for parents, educators and youth leaders in search of creative educational experiences. Niess says the Canal to Shore Challenge gets people outside to take a deeper dive into history while also gaining an appreciation for the beautiful natural environment of upstate New York. Fall and even the winter are the perfect time to take this activity on, says Niess. Not only is it the normal start to the school year, but it can be some of the most beautiful times of the year in upstate New York. Participants are encouraged to log their mileage as they walk, bike, or paddle along the Canal, and then submit their information to the Canalway Challenge initiative as well. This program is sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation. Challenge kits are $15.95 and can be purchased at the Maritime Museum or by visiting https://hlwmm.org/pages.php?page=24-canal-to-shore-challenge Seen above, Dawn Ellis, 11 years old, of Oswego New York with Flat Sailor Sam in front of the National Historic Landmark Tugboat LT-5 in Oswego’s Historic Maritime District.

Vintage 70s... the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse and Maritime Museum love it!

This Friday and Saturday, September 25-26 will be the last Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse boat tours of the season! The weather looks great, the boats are ready, and the Lighthouse is open. There are still spots left, so give us a call at 315-342-0480 to book your adventure. Tickets are $25 per person, $20 for ages 12 and under. The H. Lee White Maritime Museum would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteer captains, mates, and docents who make this amazing experience available to the visiting public each you. Without them, the experience just wouldn't be the same.

Despite all of the 2020 setbacks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the H. Lee White Maritime Museum has made considerable progress planning the future of tall ship sailing on Lake Ontario. Last week, members of the Museum's Schooner Ontario Exploratory Committee had a virtual meeting with naval architects from Buckley Yacht Design to begin development of the requisite materials needed for USCG certification, and eventual educational programming aboard Ontario. We'll work hard to keep you all informed as we continue to make progress!

It's a great day for boat tours of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse! Offered Today and Tomorrow, 12:30 - 4:30. Give the Maritime Museum a call at 315-342-0480 to reserve your adventure.