Feeling Shipwrecked? Library Books Offer Mini Vacation

Ah, there's no place like home.

Vacation is nice, but it’s home that we always return to. 

Just like the boats in the harbor. Their owners may be on vacation, but they always return, like they know this is home. One by one, they return to their slips, feeling the old familiar waters beneath them. 

Like slipping into the sheets of a bed you have been away from for so long. 

I often take my lunch breaks down at the water front, watching the boats come and go, or just bob up and down with the waves. On terribly hot days, I imagine myself diving into the water with the seagulls and ducks, cooling off and refreshing myself. It’s tempting on some days, but what would they think if I came back to work dripping wet?

I also let my mind wonder to the shipwrecks that lie just beyond the breakwall. I wonder what kind of archaeology we could find if we went out there. 

In 1856, the large Steamer Niagra burned off the coast — one hundred lives lost.

Then there was the Northerner in 1868, an 81-foot schooner, off the coast of Port. It was found in 1975, and explored by faithful library patron Allan Klopp. You can see some of the artifacts on his front yard. Allan — if you are reading this, I’m coming by! 

There are more wrecks just off the coast of Port than I realized. 

There are the ghost ships of the Atlanta, Mahoning, Sophia Bonner, W.G. Buckner and the Belle. 

The one I remember, though, is the Linda-E. In 1998, she sank off the shores of Port Washington in calm waters. Even though she has been found, and accusations of possibilities causing her sinking has been made, the Linda-E is, still today, a legend. 

At the library, you can find a videotape called “The Loss of the Linda-E.” It shows the story of her life above and below the water. 

And for the lovers of the sea, there are many other books and videos of other tales of shipwrecks on Lake Michigan, like the “Wreck of the Carl D.” We have books on the ghost ships of the haunted waters, “The Wreck of the Lady Elgin,” “The Loss of the Phoenix,” “Wreck of the Car Ferry Milwaukee” and so many others. 

We also have books on the famous Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, though sunk in the waters of Lake Superior, it has many Wisconsin ties. 

Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Lighthouse museum that housed the Fitzgerald’s bell. All I can say is, it’s haunting. Especially when you imagine it ringing for her lost crew. 

My heart still goes out to the families of the crew of the Linda-E. I hope they can find some kind of closure. And as for all the boats coming home to dock, please be safe.