Dossin Great Lakes Museum
Encyclopedia
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is an historical maritime museum
in Detroit, Michigan
. Located on The Strand on Belle Isle Park along the Detroit River
, this museum places special interest on Detroit's role on national and regional maritime history. The 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) museum features exhibits such as one of the largest collection of model ships in the world, and the bow anchor
of the legendary SS Edmund Fitzgerald
.
, which was the last commercial sailing ship on the Great Lakes, the museum was shuttered by 1956, because of the deteriorating condition of the schooner.
With $125,000 worth donations from Detroit's Dossin family, and a matching subsidation by the city's historical commission, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum broke ground on May 21, 1959, and was opened on July 24, 1961, at the former Belle Isle location of the J.T. Wing.
The Dossin Museum, after a 10-week renovation, re-opened to the public on March 24th, 2007 after over $100,000 in refurbishments. The renovation added four new exhibits, and the museum will rotate exhibits more often than in previous years.
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Located on The Strand on Belle Isle Park along the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
, this museum places special interest on Detroit's role on national and regional maritime history. The 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) museum features exhibits such as one of the largest collection of model ships in the world, and the bow anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
of the legendary SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
.
History
Originally founded in 1949 as the City Maritime Museum, aboard the J.T. Wing wooden schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, which was the last commercial sailing ship on the Great Lakes, the museum was shuttered by 1956, because of the deteriorating condition of the schooner.
With $125,000 worth donations from Detroit's Dossin family, and a matching subsidation by the city's historical commission, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum broke ground on May 21, 1959, and was opened on July 24, 1961, at the former Belle Isle location of the J.T. Wing.
The Dossin Museum, after a 10-week renovation, re-opened to the public on March 24th, 2007 after over $100,000 in refurbishments. The renovation added four new exhibits, and the museum will rotate exhibits more often than in previous years.
Permanent Exhibits
- The Miss Pepsi, one of the fastest hydroplane racing boats of all time, and the first boat to reach a speed of 100 miles per hour
- The massive bow anchor of the legendary SS Edmund FitzgeraldSS Edmund FitzgeraldThe SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
; the Fitzgerald had lost the anchor in the Detroit River - The SS William Clay FordSS William Clay FordThe SS William Clay Ford was a bulk freighter built for hauling material on the Great Lakes. It was named for William Clay Ford, Sr., grandson of Henry Ford, Sr. Its keel was laid in 1952 at River Rouge, Michigan by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, and it was launched in 1953...
Pilot House, where visitors can “be the captain” of one of the city’s most noted freighters - The restored smoking lounge of the SS City of Detroit IIICity of Detroit IIIThe City of Detroit III, often referred to as just the D-III, was a sidewheeler steamboat on the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It was one of the largest sidewheelers on the Great Lakes.- History :...
, which transports visitors back to the golden age of steamers - One of the largest known collection of scale model ships in the world