Other Pre-WWI Shipbuilders
On The Great Lakes and Inland Waterways
Most recent update: May 3, 2016.
This table attempts to cover those other shipbuilders located on the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways that were active in the years between the Civil War and World War One.
If you have an addition or correction for this page, please send it in.
Builder | Location | O/N | Name | Customer | Type | LDT | LOA | Built | Notes | |
Missouri | ||||||||||
Allen and Blaisdale | South St. Louis MO | Santiago | 168 | 1881 | ||||||
Allen and Blaisdale | South St. Louis MO | Susie Hazard | 98 | 1881 | ||||||
Allen and Blaisdale | South St. Louis MO | Kansas Millers | 34 | 1885 | ||||||
Chouteau, Harrison | St Louis MO | Bessie | 99 | 1876 | ||||||
Chouteau, Harrison | St Louis MO | Indianola | 52 | 1877 | ||||||
Chouteau, Harrison | St Louis MO | Sigma | 36 | 1879 | ||||||
St. Louis Steel barge | St Louis MO | McDougall | tugboat | 562 | 1900 | |||||
Wisconsin | ||||||||||
Anderson, L. | Fort Howard WI | Mentor | freighter | 230 | 1881 | hulked 1916 | ||||
Butler, J. | Manitowoc WI | Mystic Star | Michael Cummings | schooner | 339 | 1873 | ||||
Butler, J. | Manitowoc WI | Rube Richards | J. Richards | freighter | 815 | 1881 | abandoned 1911 | |||
Cole, E.J. | Green Bay WI | George Burnham | C. F., G. & J. Q. Burnham | freighter | 332 | 1872 | abandoned 1921 | |||
Denis, J. | Green Bay WI | W. S. Taylor | Nau Tug Line | tugboat | 318 | 1907 | abandoned 1931 | |||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | Gen. W. P. Randolph | US Army | minelayer | 1,000 | 1918 | ||||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | Colonel Clayton | US Army | passenger | 535 | 1919 | deleted 1954 and used for a clubhouse | |||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | Brig. Gen. Edmund Kirby | US Army | minelayer | 694 | 1919 | later Ilex 1920, burned Kingman's Cove NL 1948 | |||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | Colonel Card | US Army | passenger | 535 | 1919 | later Mackinaw City 1923, Brig. Gen. William E. Horton 1940, wrecked Raritan Bay 1952 | |||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | General Rochester | US Army | passenger | 357 | 1919 | later Michael Perkins 1923, scrapped 1950 | |||
Fabricated SB | Milwaukee WI | Colonel Pond | US Army | passenger | 535 | 1919 | later Saint Ignace 1923, Brig. Gen. Arthur W. Yates 1940, wrecked Raritan Bay, 1952 | |||
Fitzgerald, J. | Milwaukee WI | Geo. C. Markham | freighter | 304 | 1883 | later John W. Cullen 1917, abandoned 1932 | ||||
Green Bay Vessel | Green Bay WI | Orion | Green Bay Vessel Co | freighter | 2,283 | 1901 | later Wesee 1920, burned off Middle Sister Is 1923 | |||
Johnson, A. | Green Bay WI | Philetus Sawyer | freighter | 449 | 1884 | burned Toledo OH 1922 | ||||
Johnson, A. | Green Bay WI | John Duncan | J. Duncan | freighter | 1,267 | 1891 | later Howard W 1916, scrapped 1923 | |||
Johnson, A. | Green Bay WI | W.L.Brown | Nat. Finance Co | freighter | 336 | 1880 | foundered Peshtigo Reef 1886 | |||
Johnson, A.R. | Fort Howard WI | Maggie Duncan | J. Duncan | freighter | 535 | 1890 | later Mohawk 1906, wrecked Castle Hook NJ 1922 | |||
Johnson, S. | Green Bay WI | W. L. Brown | Nat. Finance Co | freighter | 336 | 1880 | foundered Peshtigo Reef 1886 | |||
Rand & Burger | Manitowoc WI | City of Ludington | Goodrich Tpt | passenger | 842 | 1880 | later Georgia 1898, hulked 1924, scuttled 1932 | |||
Rand & Burger | Manitowoc WI | J. C. Perrett | tugboat | 537 | 1882 | later J. C. Ames 1896, scrapped 1923 | ||||
Rieboldt & Wolter | Sturgeon Bay WI | Sturgeon Bay | USSB | freighter | 2,402 | 1918 | scrapped 1928 | |||
Thompson, C. | Manitowoc WI | Francis Hinton | H. Truman & others | freighter | 417 | 1889 | wrecked near Manitowoc 1909 | |||
Thrall, P. F. | Green Bay WI | Preston | P. F. Thrall | freighter | 575 | 1891 | later Harlow 1902, scrapped 1927 | |||
Thrall, P. F. | Green Bay WI | Normandie | P. F. Thrall | freighter | 567 | 1894 | later Marysville 1920, foundered near Belle River 1928 | |||
Universal SB | Sturgeon Bay WI | Kenosha | freighter | 763 | 1919 | scrapped 1940 | ||||
Universal SB | Sturgeon Bay WI | Sheboygan | freighter | 763 | 1919 | completed by Sturgeon Bay SB, scrapped 1940 | ||||
Universal SB | Sturgeon Bay WI | Waukegan | freighter | 763 | 1919 | completed by Sturgeon Bay SB, scrapped 1940 | ||||
Wisconsin Stm Yacht | Milwaukee WI | James H. Shrigley | J. Cornfield & J. H. Shrigley | freighter | 459 | 1881 | beached off Braddock Point I. 1920 | |||
Michigan | ||||||||||
Arnold, T. | East Saginaw MI | H. D. Coffinberry | C. G. King & D. K. Clint | freighter | 858 | 1874 | scrapped 1917 | |||
Arnold, T. | East Saginaw MI | C. H. Green | L. P. Mason, G. Corning & C. H. Green | freighter | 920 | 1881 | abandoned 1935 | |||
Bay City DD | Bay City MI | George L. Colwell | G. L. Colville | freighter | 490 | 1880 | foundered Cape Romain SC-1899 | |||
Callister, J. W. | Grand Haven MI | Samuel Marshall | T. W. Kirby | freighter | 775 | 1888 | later Brantford 1921, abandoned 1924 | |||
Clark, J. P. | Detroit MI | John Pridgeon, Jr. | J. Pridgeon | freighter | 1,211 | 1875 | foundered near Cleveland OH 1909 | |||
Clark, J. P. | Detroit MI | Pearl | passenger | 551 | 1875 | later Crystal 1901, abandoned Buffalo NY 1907 | ||||
Columbia IW | St Clair MI | 1 | Winnebago | Iroquois Transit Co | freighter | 1,091 | 1903 | wrecked Point Arena 1909 | ||
Columbia IW | St Clair MI | 2 | John C. Howard | Hall Coal Co | freighter | 1,244 | 1903 | later Melville Dollar 1908, Jinyo Maru 1917, Shin Ping 1920, scrapped 1930 | ||
Crosthwaite | Bay City MI | Queen of the West | J. Kelderhouse | freighter | 818 | 1881 | foundered off Fairport OH 1903 | |||
Crosthwaite | Bay City MI | Robert A. Packer | J. Kelderhouse | freighter | 921 | 1881 | later Batchwana 1906, burned Coppermine Point 1907 | |||
Crosthwaite | Bay City MI | Nevada | freighter | 779 | 1882 | foundered off Two Rivers 1890 | ||||
Crosthwaite | Bay City MI | Oregon | freighter | 944 | 1882 | wrecked and burned Thessalon ON 1908 | ||||
Daley | Mount Clemens MI | Virginius | W. Daley & P. Shook | schooner | 422 | 1881 | later Thomas D. Stimson 1887, burned St Clair Flats 1903 | |||
Detroit Boat Works | Detroit MI | Visitor | 70 | 1892 | ||||||
Detroit Boat Works | Detroit MI | Cynthia | yacht | 103 | 1895 | |||||
Dulac, W. | Mount Clemens MI | A. Weston | Chicago Lumbering Co | freighter | 672 | 1882 | later Congercoal 1909, burned Sodus Bay NY 1917 | |||
Dulac, W. | Mount Clemens MI | Canisteo | freighter | 595 | 1886 | stripped and abandoned 1921 | ||||
Dulac, W. | Mount Clemens MI | F. R. Buell | Chicago Lumbering Co | freighter | 1,438 | 1888 | later Nagaho 1920, foundered near Port Colborne 1922 | |||
Dulac, W. | Mount Clemens MI | Byron Whitaker | B. Whitaker & Sons | freighter | 1,539 | 1890 | later Marian W 1916, burned Quebec 1920 | |||
Dulac, W. | Mount Clemens MI | Norwalk | Shoal Water Tptn Co | freighter | 1,007 | 1891 | foundered near Cozumel 1917 | |||
Elliott, J. | Allegan MI | C. W. Moore | W. Turnbull & C. W. Moore | passenger | 383 | 1881 | abandoned 1922 | |||
Elliott, J. | Saugatuck MI | Frank Woods | R. C. Brittain | freighter | 269 | 1888 | abandoned Chicago 1940 | |||
Elliott, J. | Saugatuck MI | Charles McVea | R. C. Brittain | passenger | 264 | 1888 | stripped and abandoned 1928 | |||
Elliott, J. | Saugatuck MI | R. C. Reid | R. Reid & R. C. Brittain | passenger | 322 | 1889 | later City of Louisville 1895, Harriet A. Hart 1902, burned Detour Village 1905 | |||
Hall Bros | Eagle Harbor MI | Arctic | freighter | 202 | 1913 | |||||
Heath, E. W. | Benton Harbor MI | Mabel Bradshaw | T. J. Waters & H. E. Bradshaw | passenger freighter | 331 | 1889 | later Soo City 1907, barge 1917, abandoned 1918 | |||
Hill, J. J. | Marine City MI | Santa Maria | H. B. Ledyard | freighter | 982 | 1893 | later L. Edward Hines 1903, foundered off Belize 1916 | |||
Kenyon, A.P. | Saginaw MI | Charles H. Davis | J. H. Price | barge | 390 | 1881 | Powered 1893, foundered off Cleveland 1903 | |||
King, G. | Marine City MI | Kate Buttironi | K. & H. Buttironi | freighter | 865 | 1881 | later Falcon 1901, wrecked on South Fox I. 1909 | |||
Kirby, F. W. | Grand Haven MI | Mark Hopkins | M. Hopkins | freighter | 732 | 1888 | later Myron 1902, foundered near Crisp Point, 1919 | |||
Kirby, T. W. | Grand Haven MI | H. S. Pickands | passenger | 625 | 1884 | burned Fairport OH 1912 | ||||
Laprise, M. | Mount Clemens MI | R. McDonald | Torrent & Farr | freighter | 338 | 1881 | later Ida M. Torrent 1883, burned Cross Village MI 1893 | |||
Lester, D. | Marine City MI | C. F. Curtis | freighter | 691 | 1882 | foundered near Grand Marais 1914 | ||||
Lester, D. | Marine City MI | Toltec | Marine Transi | freighter | 767 | 1889 | burned at Windmill Point 1919 | |||
Lester, D. | Marine City MI | Aztec | Marine Transit | freighter | 834 | 1889 | burned in the Bell River 1923 | |||
Lester, D. | Marine City MI | Iroquois | M. P. Lester | freighter | 1,769 | 1892 | later Windsor 1910, wrecked off Duck I 1920 | |||
Lester, M. P. | Marine City MI | Pawnee | Pawnee Boat Co | freighter | 821 | 1888 | later Maplegulf 1920, wrecked Lake Ontario 1920 | |||
Lester, M. P. | Marine City MI | Cherokee | J. Hagan | freighter | 1,002 | 1889 | later Maplegrove 1919, Jed 1920, abandoned on Lake Ontario 1921 | |||
Lester, M. P. | Marine City MI | Mohegan | Miami Tptn Co | freighter | 1,219 | 1894 | exploded in Rio de Janeiro 1919 | |||
Martell, J. B. | South Haven MI | H. W. Williams | H. W. Williams | passenger freighter | 249 | 1888 | later Tennessee 1910, Pere Marquette 8 1913, burned at Manistee 1927 | |||
Martell, J. B. | South Haven MI | City of Kalamazoo | W. H. Williams Tptn Line | passenger | 728 | 1893 | burned at Manistee 1911 | |||
Mechanics DD | Grand Haven MI | H. C. Ackley | R. W. Kirby & H. C. Ackley | freighter | 1,187 | 1881 | foundered near Holland MI 1983 | |||
Mechanics DD | Grand Haven MI | J. C. Ford | T. W. Kirby & others | freighter | 520 | 1889 | burned at Detour MI 1924 | |||
Oades, J. | Detroit MI | Minnie M. | passenger | 447 | 1884 | later Rising Sun 1913, wrecked off Pyramid Point 1917 | ||||
Oades, J. | Detroit MI | Chenango | C. D. & J. W. Waterman | freighter | 938 | 1887 | later Lizzie Madden 1891, burned Saginaw Bay 1907 | |||
Oades, J. | Detroit MI | Charles Hebard | C. Hebard | freighter | 763 | 1888 | wrecked Point Mamainse 1902 | |||
Oades, J. | Detroit MI | John Oades | H. W. Dyas | freighter | 1,455 | 1890 | barge 1925, deleted 1931 | |||
Perene, J.C. | South Haven MI | J. D. Marshall | J. C. Perene | freighter | 531 | 1891 | capsized near Gary IN 1911 | |||
Randall, J. H. | Benton Harbor MI | Lora | freighter | 616 | 1882 | later Alice Stafford 1897, Manistee 1905, burned Ferrysburg 1914 | ||||
Randall, J. H. | Benton Harbor MI | City of St. Joseph | passenger freighter | 464 | 1883 | later S. K. Martin 1888, foundered near Erie PA 1912 | ||||
Rieboldt & Wolter | Sheboygan MI | Helena | C. H. Starke | freighter | 2,083 | 1888 | wrecked Sunken Chicken Reef 1918 | |||
Rieboldt & Wolter | Sheboygan MI | Marion | J. E. Danaher | freighter | 1,206 | 1889 | later Charles Horn 1922, burned Point Peter 1926 | |||
Rieboldt & Wolter | Sheboygan MI | John Schroeder | J. Schroeder | freighter | 372 | 1890 | later William A. Hazard 1911, abandoned 1934 | |||
Rieboldt & Wolter | Sheboygan MI | E. A. Shores, Jr | C. H. Starke | freighter | 519 | 1892 | scrapped 1936 | |||
Rogers & Bird | Saugatuck MI | City of Holland | Holland & Chicago Transportation | passenger | 439 | 1893 | later Melbourne 1910, Clarence E. LeBeau 1919, burned Toledo OH 1922 | |||
Wheeler, C. | East Saginaw MI | Hiram W.Sibley | B. Boutell | freighter | 1,418 | 1890 | wrecked South Fox Is 1898 | |||
Port Huron MI | Marigold (WAGL-235) | U.S. Revenue Service | tender | 587 | 1890 | sold 1946 | ||||
Wyandotte MI | Hyacinth (WAGL-221) | U.S. Revenue Service | tender | 950 | 1903 | sold 1946 | ||||
Ohio | ||||||||||
Cameron, A. | New Jerusalem OH | Music | freighter | 320 | 1874 | burned at Onekama MI 1899 | ||||
Dimmers, Charles | Cleveland OH | Grouper | tugboat | 1912 | ||||||
Fries, V. | Abbot Bridge OH | William Edwards | V. Fries | freighter | 1,336 | 1879 | foundered off Cape Pine NL 1917 | |||
Mork, J. E. | Sandusky OH | A. Wehrle, Jr. | A. Wehrle Jr | passenger | 421 | 1889 | hulked 1920 | |||
Murphy & Miller | Cleveland OH | Aurora | J. Corrigan | freighter | 2,282 | 1887 | burned Amhurstburg 1898, converted to barge | |||
Ohio SB | Cleveland OH | A | Penguin | trawler | 378 | 1919 | later La Servannais 1940, scrapped 1946 | |||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | 1 | Smith Moore | H. H. Brown, F. W. Pelton | freighter | 1,191 | 1880 | collision and sank Munising 1889 | ||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | 2 | Republic | Republic Iron Co Inc | freighter | 1,343 | 1881 | later Marquette 1890, foundered off Michigan Is 1903 | ||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | 3 | Columbia | J. C. Lockwood & others | freighter | 1,373 | 1881 | later Dougalmac 1920, scrapped 1921 | ||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | Specular | freighter | 1,741 | 1882 | collision and lost on Lake Erie 1900 | ||||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | Continental | freighter | 1,586 | 1882 | wrecked near Twin River LH 1904 | ||||
Presley-Globe | Cleveland OH | Colonial | freighter | 1,501 | 1882 | wrecked off Rondeau ON 1914 | ||||
Root, H. D. | Lorain OH | H. Luella Worthington | G. H. & J. M. Worthington | freighter | 375 | 1880 | later N. J. Nessen 1903, wrecked in Pigeon Bay, Lake Erie, 1929 | |||
Root, H. D. | Lorain OH | H. S. Hubbell | freighter | 398 | 1882 | exploded and burned off Poverty Island 1888 | ||||
Root, H. D. | Lorain OH | D. Leuty | freighter | 646 | 1882 | wrecked Light House Point, Marquette 1911 | ||||
Root, H. D. | Lorain OH | W. P. Thew | freighter | 139 | 1884 | collision and lost off Thunder Bay Island 1909 | ||||
Root, H. D. | Lorain OH | Albert Y. Gowen | Kelley Island Lime & Tpt Co | freighter | 213 | 1888 | converted to dredger 1896 | |||
Shipowners DD | Cleveland OH | Pasadena | M. A. Bradley | freighter | 1,760 | 1889 | wrecked in Portage Lake Canal 1906 | |||
Shipowners DD | Cleveland OH | Hesper | M. A. Bradley | freighter | 1,858 | 1890 | wrecked on Silver Bay Reef 1905 | |||
Smith, L. P.& J. A. | Cleveland OH | Margaret Olwill | L. P. & J. A. Smith | freighter | 925 | 1887 | capsized and sank off Lorain 1899 | |||
Standard Contract | Cleveland OH | James H.Cassidy | tugboat | 110 | 1912 | |||||
Toledo Foundry | Toledo OH | Brian Boru | dredge | 348 | 1889 | |||||
Cleveland OH | James Pickands | freighter | 1,545 | 1886 | abandoned 1914 | |||||
Cleveland OH | William A. Field | tugboat | 114 | 1909 | ||||||
Grassy Point OH | Richard F. Young | freighter | 268 | 1915 | ||||||
Illinois | ||||||||||
Miller Bros | Chicago IL | Boscobel | The Peshtigo Co | freighter | 610 | 1881 | later Ottawa 1904, burned in Redcliff WI 1909 | |||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Emma Della | 7 | 1905 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Carrie Lee | 11 | 1906 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Delena | 14 | 1908 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Jinks | yacht | 17 | 1910 | |||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | J. Frank Hicks | 11 | 1910 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Hustler | 9 | 1910 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Nixona | 11 | 1910 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Pontiac | 8 | 1910 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | War Chief | 10 | 1910 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Dooley | 9 | 1911 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Mira | 18 | 1912 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Doraetta | 8 | 1912 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Sheldonia II | 9 | 1912 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Irene | 9 | 1913 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Redwing | 9 | 1913 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | J. B. Haverstick | 10 | 1913 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Kate | 11 | 1914 | ||||||
Ripley Hardware | Grafton IL | Lady | 8 | 1914 | ||||||
Shipowners DD | Chicago IL | 200669 | No. 15 | Milwaukee Fire Dept. | fireboat | 194 | 1903 | later Lawrence C. Turner 1952, tug Ohio 1973, in Nat. Mus. of the G.L. | ||
Smith, J. P. | Chicago IL | Vernon | passenger | 694 | 1886 | foundered off Two Rivers 1887 | ||||
Springfield Boiler | Springfield IL | Erastus Wells | 541 | 1907 | ||||||
Grafton IL | Minneapolis | tugboat | 250 | 1915 | later Bunker Power | |||||
Grafton IL | Le Clair | tugboat | 175 | 1915 | ||||||
New York | ||||||||||
Dunbar & Sullivan | Buffalo NY | Hurricane | dredge | 191 | 1909 | |||||
Dunbar, Harris T. | Buffalo NY | Gold Standard | barge | 222 | 1895 | |||||
Dunbar, Harris T. | Buffalo NY | Cuba Libre | barge | 195 | 1895 | |||||
Dunbar, Harris T. | Buffalo NY | No. 1 | 232 | 1895 | ||||||
Dunbar, Harris T. | Buffalo NY | Protective Policy | barge | 339 | 1896 | |||||
Hingston & Co. | Buffalo NY | Theodore E. Cowles | 33 | 1905 | ||||||
Hingston & Co. | Buffalo NY | Trenton | 517 | 1905 | ||||||
Hitchcock | Buffalo NY | Keystone | J. S. Duncan | freighter | 722 | 1880 | probably a rebuild of a ship built in 1866, burned near Big Summer I. 1898 | |||
Jones, F. N. | Buffalo NY | Clyde | F. L. Danforth | freighter | 1,549 | 1881 | later Stanstead 1914, Colin W 1917, scrapped 1921 | |||
Lawler's Marine | Clifton NY | Southfield | ferry | 758 | 1882 | hulked 1908 | ||||
Mills, R. | Buffalo NY | Monteagle | freighter | 1,273 | 1884 | burned Mud Lake, St Mary's River, 1909 | ||||
Mills, R. | Buffalo NY | Wyoming | Lackawanna Tptn Co | freighter | 1,492 | 1887 | later Mapleglen 1920, scuttled Lake Ontario 1925 | |||
Mills, R. | Buffalo NY | Robert Mills | J. Rice & others | freighter | 1,790 | 1888 | later Fellowcraft 1918, scrapped 1928 | |||
Mills, R. | Buffalo NY | Florida | Lackawanna Tptn Co | freighter | 2,103 | 1889 | sank between Middle I and Presque Isle, 1897 | |||
Strong Tptn Co | Tonawanda NY | Eliza H. Strong | W. H. Strong & others | freighter | 781 | 1899 | burned off Port Sanilac 1904 | |||
Buffalo NY | Alaska | freighter | 1,288 | 1871 | scrapped 1893 | |||||
Buffalo NY | Alaska | freighter | 1,288 | 1871 | ||||||
Clayton NY | St.Lawrence | passenger | 312 | 1884 | scrapped 1926 | |||||
Clayton NY | Ontario | passenger | 444 | 1884 | later Protector 1891, Isla da Cuba 1903, deleted 1913 | |||||
Tennessee | ||||||||||
Southern Boiler | Memphis TN | Iola | tanker | 14 | 1909 | |||||
Southern Boiler | Memphis TN | Bob Lee, Jr. | Lee Line Steamers | passenger | 200 | 1911 |