44°54′6″N82°44′22″W / 44.90167°N 82.73944°W /44.90167; -82.73944
 Empire State, a paddle steamer of a similar age and size toKeystone State | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg) United States | |
| Name | Keystone State |
| Namesake | A nickname for theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania |
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry | Presque Isle, Pennsylvania |
| Builder | Bidwell & Banta ofBuffalo, New York |
| Launched | November 11, 1848 |
| In service | May 1849 |
| Out of service | November 9 or 10, 1861 |
| Fate | Sank in a storm onLake Huron |
| Wreck discovered | July 2013 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 1,354 GRT |
| Length | 288 feet (87.8 m) |
| Beam |
|
| Depth | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 ×paddle wheels almost 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter |
| Capacity |
|
PSKeystone State (also spelledKey Stone State) was a wooden-hulled Americanpaddle steamer in service between 1849 and 1861. She was built in 1848 inBuffalo, New York, by Bidwell & Banta forship-owner Charles M. Reed ofErie, Pennsylvania, and operated as part of his "Chicago Line". A luxuriously furnishedpalace steamer, she operated between Buffalo andChicago, Illinois, while also making stops at various other ports. She was built for the passenger and package freight trade, frequently carrying both wealthy passengers andEuropean immigrants who desired to settle in theMidwestern United States. Due to thePanic of 1857,Keystone State and several other paddle steamers were laid up. When theAmerican Civil War began in 1861; she was refurbished, and put back into service.
On November 8, 1861,Keystone State left Detroit forMilwaukee, Wisconsin, under the command of Captain Wilkes Travers. Although her cargo manifest listed her cargo as farm machinery, it was rumored that this was a cover for military supplies and gold. She was last seen offPort Austin, Michigan, struggling in a storm, and eventually sank with the loss of all 33 people on board.Keystone State's fate was unknown for over a week, until pieces of wreckage washed ashore.
The location ofKeystone State's wreck remained a mystery for 151 years, until it was found in July 2013 by shipwreck hunter David Trotter. The wreck rests in nearly 175 feet (53.3 m) of water northeast ofHarrisville, Michigan, about 40 to 50 miles (64.4 to 80.5 km) from whereKeystone State was last seen afloat.
Keystone State (also spelledKey Stone State) was built in 1848 by Bidwell & Banta ofBuffalo, New York. By the time she was completed,Keystone State was the secondlargest ship on the Great Lakes, after the paddle steamerEmpire State.[1][2][3] She was named in honor of theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania.[4]Keystone State was a so-calledpalace steamer, a class of Great Lakespaddle steamers known for their lavish interiors. Maritime historian Robert McGreevy wrote that the interiors of palace steamers "were made to look like the finest hotels", and had "leaded glass windows and carved arches and mahogany trim".[5]Keystone State had two funnels, a 16 foot (4.9 m) by 230 foot (70.1 m) dining room, 70 largestate rooms, and could accommodate 800 passengers and 6,000 barrels of freight.[1][6][7][8] Thejoiner work forKeystone State was done by carpenter John M. Smith. Newspapers reported that her main cabin was designed by a Captain E. Powers, although Smith later claimed to have designed it.[7][8][9][10][11]
Keystone State's wooden hull was 288 feet (87.8 m) long, while her beam was 35 feet (10.7 m) wide.[1][6][7][8][a] At her main deck,Keystone State had overhanging hull guards, which brought her overall beam to 63 feet (19.2 m).[7][8] Her hull was 14 feet (4.3 m) deep.[1][6][7][8] She had agross tonnage of 1354 tons.[1][6][7][12][13]
She was powered by a 500 hp (370 kW) single cylinderwalking beam engine, the cylinder of which was 65 inches (165.1 cm) in diameter, and had astroke of 10 feet (3.0 m).[1][7][8] The engine was manufactured inNew York City. Steam for the engine was provided by twofirebox boilers.[1][7][8]Keystone State was propelled by twopaddle wheels that were nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter.[5][14] She was launched on November 11, 1848.[1][6]
In 1849,Keystone State wasenrolled inPresque Isle, Pennsylvania.[1][6] Built forship-owner Charles M. Reed ofErie, Pennsylvania,Keystone State became part of his "Chicago Line".[1][6][15][16]Keystone State made two trips to Erie andDetroit, Michigan, respectively, to test her machinery.[15] That same month, she began traveling between Buffalo andChicago, Illinois, while also making stops at other ports such asSandusky, Ohio, andMilwaukee, Wisconsin. Built for the passenger and package freight trade, she frequently carried both affluent passengers andEuropean immigrants who desired to settle in theMidwestern United States. She also carried barreled goods, such as flour.[1][5][16]
In October 1849,Keystone State was damaged and disabled in a gale onLake Michigan, breaking one of her "hogging arches".[1][17] On April 15, 1850,Keystone State rescued the passengers of the paddle steamerAtlantic, which had run aground onPoint Pelee.[18] On June 8 that same year,Keystone State collided with theschoonerComfort Ann offRocky River, Ohio.[1][19]Keystone State rescued the crew of the schoonerS.F. Gale, which sank in a collision with the schoonerTelegraph in theDetroit River on November 11, 1850.[20]
Keystone State traveled toPut-in-Bay, Ohio, on August 6, 1851.[1][21] On December 17 that same year, while running between Buffalo,Dunkirk, New York, and Detroit, with 3,500 barrels of flour and 1,000dressed pigs,Keystone State became trapped in ice atMalden, Ontario.[1][22] She began making regular trips between Dunkirk and Detroit in 1852.[23][24] On November 12, 1852, the crew ofKeystone State sighted a steamboat, which they believed to beOneida. She had been lost with all hands, and was floating 9 miles (14.5 km) off Dunkirk.[25][26] The following day,Keystone State and another paddle steamer,Lady Elgin, were damaged while attempting to enter Dunkirk harbor during a storm.[27] On November 18, theDaily News ofKingston, Ontario, reported an unconfirmed rumor thatKeystone State andEmpire State had collided near Erie.[28]
On October 10, 1853, one ofKeystone State's boilersexploded in the lower Detroit River, after one of herflues collapsed.[29][30] She did not sustain major damage, and was towed to Detroit for repairs by the paddle steamerMayflower.[1][30] In 1854,Keystone State arrived in Buffalo with a bad leak. She sustained $3,000 (equivalent to $82,000 in 2024[31]) worth of damage, and was dry docked for repairs.[32] In 1855,Keystone State ran betweenCollingwood, Ontario, and Chicago, while also making stops inSault Ste. Marie, Michigan.[1]
While running between Collingwood and Chicago on September 18, 1856,Keystone State sprang a leak in a gale on Lake Michigan; her starboard cabin was also smashed in. She was repaired in Detroit.[33] Due to thePanic of 1857,Keystone State and several other paddle steamers were laid up. When theAmerican Civil War began in 1861, she was refurbished, and put back into service.[5][6] She was sold on October 30, 1861; her owners included G. Ritter and Frank Handel.[1][34]Keystone State re-entered service on November 7, when she arrived in Detroit.[12][35]
On November 8, 1861,Keystone State left Detroit for Milwaukee under the command of Captain Wilkes Travers.[36][37] Although her manifest listed her cargo as farm machinery, historians now believe that it had been intentionally mislabeled, and she was carrying gold military supplies intended to be used in the Civil War.[3][5][38] She was last seen by the schoonerBronson offPort Austin, Michigan, rolling in a storm, and appeared to be disabled.[3][38][39] She sank on either November 9 or 10, with the loss of all 33 of her crew.[3][38] No bodies fromKeystone State were ever recovered.[40]
Keystone State's fate was unknown for over a week, until pieces of her wreck were spotted on November 21.[3][12][38] On November 23, theDetroit Free Press reported that while offPointe Aux Barques, thesteamerCity of Cleveland had passed through "large quantities of what they took to be the upper works of some wrecked steamer", later determined to be fromKeystone State.[36][37][39] A day later, they reported that "part of a guard rail, part of a wheel and a portion of a paddle box of a large steamer" had washed ashore atWhite Rock, Michigan.[39][41] The schoonerLookout encountered wreckage such as cabins and a pilot house off Pointe Aux Barques on November 23.[42][43] The pilot house washed ashore nearLexington, Michigan.[5][12]
Shipwreck hunter David Trotter ofCanton, Michigan, located the wreck ofKeystone State on the weekend of July 6–7, 2013, usingside-scan sonar.[3][5][44] The wreck was found 25 miles (40.2 km) to 30 miles (48.3 km) northeast ofHarrisville, Michigan, (roughly 40 miles (64.4 km) to 50 miles (80.5 km) north of where she was last seen), in nearly 175 feet (53.3 m) of water.[3][5] Trotter and his team, Undersea Research Associates, were able to identifyKeystone State's wreck based on her size and features, as she was the only paddle steamer of that size still missing in Lake Huron.[38] The wreck is in a semi-collapsed state, encrusted withzebra mussels.[3][5][44]Keystone State's stern is relatively broken up, while her engine, boilers and paddle wheels are all still standing, and are in relatively good condition.[3][5][38] Trotter and his dive team were unable to find any of the farm machinery or rumored gold, speculating thatKeystone State's crew jettisoned the cargo in an attempt to keep her afloat.[3][5][38] The wreck is surrounded by a large debris field.[3][38]
