During the summer of 2019, Cassady Calder, a senior English major at the University of Dayton, joined the Archaeology Department as a National Register of Historic Places nomination intern. She was tasked with compiling nomination information for the W.R. Hanna, a boat which shipwrecked off the north point of Kelleys Island, OH.
On Wednesday, she did a poster presentation on her work at the Joseph W. Stander Symposium, an event which “recognizes and celebrates academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate education.”
I had the pleasure of joining in on the Zoom presentation and thought I’d share some information and her poster.
Title: “The Shipwreck of the W.R. Hanna: The Significance of Scow Schooners in Lake Erie following the War of 1812”
Description: Lake Erie is not commonly known for its shipwrecks, yet it is one of the most shipwreck dense areas in the world, and many of the wrecks remain undiscovered. This poster session will present research that was conducted for the Ohio History Connection on the shipwreck of the W.R. Hanna. This research was in anticipation of attempting to register the wreck with the National Registry of Historic Places. The session will cover what makes the wreck of the W.R. Hanna significant as well as discuss its contributions to industry on Lake Erie. Small lake-shoring craft, while less dramatic and famous than their larger counterparts, were more important to the economy of Ohio after the release of British control on the lakes following the war of 1812. These smaller crafts deserve their places in the annals of history and this research speaks to their value in the landscape of the Great Lakes.
In closing, I want to say to Cassady, congratulations on the presentation and your upcoming graduation!
The W.R. Hanna nomination will be reviewed this year and, hopefully, accepted to the National Register of Historic Places.
