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A Madison homeowner recently asked MHS if we had any history on the shipwreck of the Red Bird, just offshore in Lake Erie. Intrigued, we did some digging in our files, digging online, picked the brains of some really great people, and found that indeed there was a shipwreck of a schooner-scow just north of Madison.
A little background… a common type of Great Lakes freight ship in the 1800’s to early 1900’s was a schooner/scow. The schooner/scow design typically had two or three masts, a broad, shallow hull, and centreboards, rather than a deep keel. The design allowed them to move heavy loads of cargo into shallow waters. Madison Dock, at the northern end of Dock Road where Arcola Creek Park now stands, had a shipbuilding industry between 1825 and 1865. During that period over twenty ships were built, mostly schooner/scows, as well as tugs, barks, and steamboats. A 50-GT (gross tonnage) scow named Red Bird was built at Madison Dock @1852, by Joel Norton and a partner named Platt. There may have been a second Red Bird built by the Lockwood family @1850, although documentation is scarce. Another Red Bird, a 39-GT scow, was built in 1870, in Hamilton, Ontario.
Specific details about the wreck of the Red Bird are scarce, but we do know it was the two-masted Canadian Red Bird that went down, approximately 11.8 miles east of Fairport Harbor. Although we do not know the exact date of the sinking, local lore and the road name appearing on plat maps suggest the Red Bird sank between 1900 and 1903. The wreck first appears on a 1903 chart.
The wreck gave its name to Madison’s Red Bird Road. The road’s name is listed in a 1908 atlas as Platt’s Road (named for the Madison Dock vessel’s builder). Louanna Billington, one of the founders of the MHS was reported to have found that “people would take the path (Platt’s Road) in carriages to see the schooner.” The site became such a popular place to picnic, or to spend a lazy afternoon, that the path worn by people on foot, horseback, and carriages turned into a full-blown road. Platt’s Road was officially renamed Red Bird Road on May 6, 1952.
The wreck of the Red Bird is in a 250-foot trench running east/west, about 25 feet deep, approximately 5/8 of a mile offshore. A dive on the site in the early 2000’s found planking, ballast stone, and spars from the Red Bird. In addition to that wreck, there is documentation of other shipwrecks all along the Lake Erie coastline. The website alcheminc.com/asht.html identifies several other Madison shipwrecks – among them the Wasp (1818), George H. Walker (1853), Andes (1868), and the Charles B. Hill (1906).
As always, additional information or comments regarding the wreck of the Red Bird are welcome!
Submitted by Jesse Devin, Social Media Assistant Madison Historical Society
Madison Historical Society Executive Board & Advisors
Cheryl Swackhamer – President
Dianne Cross – Vice President
Donald Bartlett – Secretary
Michael Gehring – Treasurer / Business Manager
Marjorie Shook – Office Manager / Membership Chair
Sherry Carsey – Curator
Sue Lampey – Research Chair
John Vohlidka – Newsletter Editor
Trevor Behm – Advisor
Richard Collins Jr. – Advisor
Ned Foley – Advisor
David Van Dusen – Advisor
Shane Oravetz – Advisor
Carrie Svigel – Advisor
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