The Madeline was built in Fairport, Ohio in 1845 as a freight – carrying schooner.  For the better portion of her thirty-year career she called the waters of Northern Lake Michigan home.  She served as a passenger ferry visiting the numerous small shoreline ports.  The Madeline was also involved in the trading of commodities, one such example being the delivering of salt to local fishermen and the carrying of barrels of salted fish in her 55 ton hold.  Two other notable uses for the schooner were a year of service as a lightship in the Mackinac Straits and another year evacuating refugees from Beaver Island.

Today the Schooner Madeline is part of the Maritime Heritage Alliance educational based fleet and calls Traverse City, Michigan its homeport.  Constructed of white oak at the keelson and pine planking, the sparred length is 92 feet with a deck length of 55 feet.  Its beam is 16 feet with a draft of 7 feet.  Its fore and aft masts rise in height between 68-71 feet.

The Madeline will be returning to Fairport Harbor the weekend of July11-12 as part of Harbor Fest 2015.  Deck tours will be available and several educational sails will be offered the Friday before the event.  The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse and Marine Museum will be open both days. Storyteller and musician Tom Kastle will be performing and the sea shanty group The Hardtackers,  will be performing shows daily. An Art Festival will be held on Sunday the 12th beginning at 1pm. Harbor Fest will conclude with a free concert by the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight that evening.  Lake Metroparks beach will be the site of boating activities, sand sculptors and more during the schooner’s stay.

For more information – visit  www.fairportharbor.org, www.fairportharborlighthouse.org or www.lakemetroparks.com

Submitted by Dan Maxson – News-Herald Media blogger of Local Lore by Max. Volunteer FHHS/ Fairport Harbor Lighthouse & Marine Museum