National Museum of the Great Lakes facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1701 Front Street Toledo, Ohio |
| Type | Maritime museum |
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is a cool museum located right by the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. It's run by the Great Lakes Historical Society. This museum teaches you all about the amazing history and nature of the North American Great Lakes. A really special part of the museum is the huge ship docked next to it, the SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker. This ship is a Lake freighter, which means it used to carry cargo across the Great Lakes.
Contents
Discovering the Great Lakes' Story
How the Museum Started
The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) began with a group called the Great Lakes Historical Society. This group loves the Great Lakes and used to have a smaller museum in Vermilion, Ohio. In 2014, the Society moved to Toledo and opened this bigger museum. They wanted to show off a historic lake freighter from the time of the Second Industrial Revolution.
The Famous Schoonmaker Ship
The SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker is a very old ship, launched in 1911. It is docked right next to the museum. You can see its old riveted plates and the pilothouse, which shows how ships were built before modern radar. This ship helps visitors understand the technology used by sailors and shipbuilders over 100 years ago. You can even go inside the Schoonmaker during the warmer months.
The Tugboat Ohio
In 2018, the museum received a special gift: a retired tugboat named Ohio. This tugboat used to help big ships move around the Great Lakes. The museum worked to fix up the Ohio so people could explore it. It has been open for tours since the spring of 2019.
Finding Sunken Ships
The museum also helps find and protect old ships that have sunk in Lake Erie. Thanks to new technology, it's easier to find these sunken ships. By studying these old boats, especially those built before 1900, experts can learn a lot about how ships were made and what life was like for sailors long ago. This information is often not found in history books.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum building itself opened on April 26, 2014. It celebrates both the natural beauty and the human history of the Great Lakes. Inside, you can see many cool things, including model ships. These displays take you through 350 years of navigation on the Lakes. You can also see real parts from old sailing and steam-powered ships. There are even old dishes and silverware used by passengers on the Great Lakes' old steamships and liners. The museum is open all year round.
See Also
