Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Photos

Description

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the only one of its kind dedicated to the perils of maritime transport on the Great Lakes. It is fittingly located at Whitefish Point, site of the oldest active lighthouse on Lake Superior. The museum features a restored boathouse, lighthouse and video theater

Lake Superior is deceivingly beautiful, yet the big lake's unrelenting fury has earned her the reputation of being the most treacherous of the Great Lakes. Throughout the museum gallery visitors see dramatic shipwreck legends come to life. Artifacts and exhibits tell stories of sailors and ships who braved the waters of Superior and those who were lost to her menacing waves.

The bell of the famous Edmund Fitzgerald is displayed in the museum as a memorial to her lost crew. Whitefish Point marks the critical turning point for all ships entering or leaving the lake. The waters that extend west from Whitefish Point along the 80-mile stretch of rugged shoreline have earned the ominous title, "Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast."

Take a trip back in time on a guided tour of the fully restored 1861 Lightkeepers Quarters. You'll hear first-hand accounts of keepers and their families who manned this side-by-side duplex building while tending the light. The Lightkeepers Quarters features period furnishings, descriptive panels, and artifacts from the days of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service.

During the off-season months, visitors may still see the Shipwreck Museum by making an appointment with our staff at Whitefish Point.

Hours of Operation

May-October: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Off season open by appointment

Locations

Paradise, MI