National Great Lakes Museum ready to display new pilothouse

TOLEDO, OHIO – A major expansion to the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) is expected to boost attendance, expand its educational reach and increase visitor accessibility for the institution.

The museum’s $5.5 million Second Wave project also serves to advance a larger vision for the NMGL, and, by proximity, Toledo. When it opens on June 28, it’s expected to become the gathering place for Great Lakes conversations concerning everything from history to tourism and environmental issues to industry.

“There are a million different conversations happening on the Great Lakes, and Toledo is very centrally located,” said Kate Fineske, NMGL executive director. “We know our space is only one small space, but we are the only National Museum of the Great Lakes, and why not convene the conversations that are happening?”

While she estimated there are about 100 maritime museums on the Great Lakes, Fineske noted the NMGL is unique because it’s the only one covering the entire scope of U.S. and Canadian history revolving around all five Great Lakes. 

NMGL traces its origins to 1945, when the newly-formed Great Lakes Historical Society published the first issue of its Inland Seas journal. In 1953, the Society opened a museum in Vermilion, Ohio, which relocated to the east bank of the Maumee River in Toledo 11 years ago.

The museum saw dramatic visitor growth following the move, and has welcomed 225,000 visitors from more than 30 countries and 50 states since 2014. When phase two of neighboring Glass City Metropark opened in June 2023, annual visitation jumped by 46 percent. 

“We continue to see that visitation rise,” Fineske added. She said the museum’s strategic plan set a goal to double annual visits from 30,000 to 60,000 people over the next five years.

The Second Wave expansion is expected to play a key role in advancing that goal. The 5,000-square-foot Larry and Karen Bettcher Wing includes the Great Lakes Community Education Center, expanded offices to accommodate a growing staff and permanent, and temporary exhibit galleries. The new wing is anchored by the pilothouse of the St. Marys Challenger, thought to be the longest operating bulk carrier in world history.

The St. Marys Challenger went into shipyard in October 2013 to be converted to a tug barge. In 2015, the NMGL acquired the pilothouse of the 108-year-old freighter.

Even though the museum had just opened in Toledo at the time, the pilothouse acquisition was “the seed” of knowing something would need to be done eventually to put it on display, according to Carrie Sowden, director of archaeology and research.

Offering a sweeping view of the river from its windows, the pilothouse was placed to give visitors the feeling of steering the ship. Unlike the Museum Tug Ohio and the Col. James M. Schoonmaker docked outside, the pilothouse will be open year round and is fully accessible by ramp from inside the new wing. It is being restored to represent a more contemporary time period than the Schoonmaker.

Sowden noted the Second Wave expansion allows the museum to tell stories they haven’t been able to share before.

A new permanent exhibit, “Every Boat Tells Our Story,” features the Bob Sellers Model Collection and celebrates the craftsmanship and legacy of Great Lakes vessels.

“What we’re trying to do is tell personal stories; tell stories that hopefully people can see themselves in, maybe see their ancestors in, see something and find a way to connect,” said Sowden.

A 1,400-square-foot temporary gallery is meant to encourage regular return visits. Some exhibits will be locally curated while others are expected to be traveling exhibits.

“Dark Waters: True Crime and Mystery on the Great Lakes” is the first temporary exhibit, curated by director emeritus Chris Gillcrist.

“We’re telling a bunch of different tales across the Great Lakes of unsolved mystery, murder and mayhem,” said Fineske.

While she acknowledges not everyone is fully entrenched in maritime history, Fineske predicts the true crime twist will resonate with a wide audience. The exhibit explores mysteries, such as strange disappearances at sea, shipwrecks, like the Eastland Disaster on the Chicago River, and infamous crimes including the unsolved Torso Murders in Cleveland and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago. It will run through Halloween.

Fineske said the artifacts on the main exhibit floor only represent about 10 percent of the museum’s collection. The NMGL just finished moving everything to Toledo from Vermilion at the beginning of this year, aided by an $18,000 grant from the Ohio History Connection.

Fundraising for the Second Wave expansion kicked off at the end of 2020 with a million dollar match pledge from Larry and Karen Bettcher. Fineske said they met that target and also received $1.1 million in capital funds from the State of Ohio over three different budgets for the project. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority provided a grant of $25,000 and a loan of $125,000 to aid in construction of the concrete pad beneath the pilothouse.

The museum does not receive any local, state or federal funds to cover its annual operating budget, which has steadily climbed from $300,000 in Vermilion to nearly $1.7 million this year. Along with endowments, donations and grants, NMGL relies heavily on earned revenue from memberships, admissions, rentals and museum store sales. “Everything gets put completely back into its mission,” said Fineske.

Toledo Free Press

Obituary    Peter R. Cresswell

 We would like to offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Peter Cresswell, who passed away peacefully at the Sault Area Hospital on Friday, June 20, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones. Peter had a long and distinguished 35-year career at Algoma Central Corporation, where he was a prominent figure in the shipping industry, serving as President and CEO for ten years and Deputy Chairman of the Board in his final year, 2001.

The Algowest, a self-unloading bulk carrier constructed at Collingwood Shipyards in Collingwood, was operated by Algoma Central Railway’s Marine Division for Great Lakes and ocean operations from 1982 to 2001. The vessel was later renamed Peter R. Cresswell and served from 2001 until its scrapping in Aliaga, Turkey in 2016.

[Ship Junkies-Janey Anderson]

Public Access Restricted for Soo Locks Engineers Day

Detroit, MI – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the event’s federal, state, and local public safety partners are changing public access for this year’s Soo Locks Engineers Day event on June 27. 

Out of an abundance of caution, in light of uncontrollable circumstances and in order to prioritize public safety, visitor access will be limited to Canal Park. Access in and around active Soo Locks operations will not be allowed.

“We acknowledge this is disappointing and acknowledge the importance of this event to the community, which is why we coordinated closely with our public safety partners to permit the event to still take place” said Soo Locks Operations Manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem. “All public activities and displays will be concentrated within Canal Park which includes the observation platform to view vessels and the visitor center.”

These changes are being implemented as a precautionary measure to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.  

The United States Coast Guard will be supporting and participating but will no longer be holding an open house for Engineers Day due to updated security protocols.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

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