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Maritime Museum News is a publication of the
Association for Great Lakes Maritime History

This page seeks to provide professionals with a global perspective on maritime heritage preservation and interpretation, along with insights into best management practices for museums, trends in tourism and cultural resource management, and personnel-related news and information.

10/28/2026

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society will live stream its annual memorial ceremony at the Whitefish Point Light Station for the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 people. There will not be a daytime event in 2026.

In-person attendance at the ceremony is limited to surviving Fitzgerald family members and individuals connected to the ship and its crew. More details on the livestream, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, will be posted on the Historical Society’s web page and social media sites.

https://shipwreckmuseum.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GLShipwreckMuseum

Image: Edmund Fitzgerald’s ship bell (Source: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society).

10/28/2026

During the weekend of Nov. 7-8, 2026, the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio will host special guided tours of the museum ship Col. James M. Schoonmaker in honor of the 51st anniversary of the loss of the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald.

The “Fitzgerald Experience” tours will use the Schoonmaker and its similarities to the Fitzgerald to discuss the events of Nov. 10, 1975, theories surrounding the sinking and stories about the 29 crew members who were lost. This tour is approximately 75 minutes long.

Each tour is limited to 12 people. Tours will begin every 30 minutes starting at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday and 12:00 noon ET on Sunday. The last tour both days begins at 3:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are $25 for museum members and $40 for non-members.

To order tickets, which include admission to the museum, click on the link below.

https://nmgl.org/event/edmund-fitzgerald-tours/

Image Source: National Museum of the Great Lakes

10/28/2026

On Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, the Sanilac County Historical Society in Sanilac, Mich. will host a free presentation by documentarian, researcher and author Ric Mixter on the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew on the night of Nov. 10, 1975.

The program will be held in the Forestville Church building on the grounds of the Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum. Mixter’s presentation will be based, in part, on his research for one of his most recent books, Tattletale Sounds - The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations.

The two-hour event will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET with a musical performance by John Broadwell followed by the presentation at 2:30 p.m. ET. For more information, call (810) 622-9946.

For reservations, click on the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-lecture-great-lakes-shipwrecks-tickets-1987644469113?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Image: A painting by Capt. Bud Robinson of the Edmund Fitzgerald in the storm that ultimately sank the ship and took the lives of all 29 crew members (Source: FineArtAmerica.com).

10/27/2026

On Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, the Bullard Sanford Memorial Library in Vassar, Mich. will host a free presentation by documentarian, researcher and author Ric Mixter on the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew on the night of Nov. 10, 1975.

Mixter’s program will be based, in part, on his research for Tattletale Sounds - The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations, one of his most recent books. The one-hour event will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET. For more information, call (989) 823-2171.

Image Source: University of Minnesota Duluth Archive.

10/27/2026

During Nov. 7-10, 2026, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Mich. will host several events to commemorate all mariners who have lost their lives on the Great Lakes and the loss of the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew on Nov. 10, 1975.

On Saturday, November 7, the Livonia (Mich.) Amateur Radio Club will commemorate the Fitzgerald by sharing the ship’s story with amateur radio operators around the world. Museum visitors are welcome to watch any time between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET.

The cost, which includes admission to the museum, is $5 per person or free for Detroit Historical Society members, educators or children 5 and under. To pre-register, click on link below.

https://1066.blackbaudhosting.com/1066/Edmund-Fitzgerald-Special-Event-Station-Broadcast

On the morning of Sunday, November 8, the museum will host its annual Lost Mariners Brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. The event will feature a meal and historical presentation followed by a performance by Great Lakes balladeer Lee Murdock.

The menu will reflect the culinary traditions of Great Lakes freighters, including the Fitzgerald, and will draw from the recipes found in Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbook by George Yaworski. The cost is $85 per person. To pre-register, click on the link below.

https://www.detroithistorical.org/events/lost-mariners-brunch

On the evening of Sunday, November 8, the museum, in partnership with the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, will host the annual Lost Mariners Remembrance Ceremony from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET outside on the shores of the Detroit River.

Admission is free. To pre-register, click on the link below.

https://www.detroithistorical.org/events/lost-mariners-remembrance-ceremony

During the Remembrance Ceremony, a memorial wreath will arrive by boat and then placed near an anchor from the Fitzgerald. That will be followed by a ringing of a ship’s bell to honor all those lost aboard the ill-fated freighter and on the waters of the Great Lakes.

There will then be a procession of an Honor Flotilla of Canadian and United States government and commercial vessels. Following the ceremony, there will be warm beverages served inside, along with a performance of songs of remembrance and the sea by Lee Murdock.

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, the museum will commemorate the 51st anniversary of the loss the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew with a showing of a documentary entitled “We Finished Their Journey” beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The documentary follows along with the 17 teams of four relay swimmers each that took part in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim in 2025. Event organizer Jim Dreyer and David Volk, who served as the ground operations director for the swim, will be on-hand for a Q&A session.

Admission is $25 per person or $20 for Detroit Historical Society members. To pre-register, click on the link below.

https://www.detroithistorical.org/events/lost-mariners-evening-remembrance

Image Source: Dossin Great Lakes Museum/Detroit Historical Society.

10/26/2026

On Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, the Loutit District Library in Grand Haven, Mich. will host a presentation on the Alpena Storm of 1880 by Michael Passwater, the author of Lake Michigan Gales & Tales: Vanishing Ships, Tragic Wrecks and Historic Rescues.

The 90-minute program begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. In the early morning of Oct. 16, 1880, a massive gale with hurricane force winds struck Lake Michigan. The storm sank or damaged over 100 ships and is named for its most infamous victim, the passenger steamer Alpena.

Heavily loaded with a deck load of ten railroad car loads of apples and somewhere between 60-80 passengers and crew, the ship was lost with all hands. Investigators believe the vessel’s cargo shifted during the storm causing the Alpena to list and eventually capsize.

Image Source: Historical Collections of the Great Lakes at Bowling Green State University.

Information Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Alpena
https://loutitlibrary.libcal.com/event/17255377

10/25/2026

On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 2025, the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association will host its annual Gales of November program in Duluth, Minn. The event will take place at two venues in or near historic Canal Park.

On Friday, November 6, there will be presentations at The Garden event center, including one on the Great Lakes operations and rescues of the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessors by Fred Stonehouse, author of Wreck Ashore: The United States Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes

There will also be presentations on the whaleback S.S. Meteor by Dale Koziol and the dining china used by Great Lakes passenger ships and freighters by Tim Zager. Sara Summers-Luedtke will provide an update on the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.

After the speakers ends at noon, attendees can tour the University of Minnesota’s research vessel Blue Heron. Later, there will also be a reception at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitors Center. The admission cost for Friday’s events is $50 per person.

For Maritime Club members, there will a luncheon at The Garden at noon on Friday. The keynote speaker will be Patrick Kelly, the chief executive office of Frasier Shipyards in Superior, Wis. The admission cost for the luncheon is $40 per person.

On Saturday, November 7, there will be presentations at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) including one on the sailing career of the bulk freighter J.B. Ford by LeRoy Rubina that will also look at its fleet mates and the storms it encountered..

There will also be presentations on recent shipwreck findings of the Wisconsin Historical Society and NOAA’s Project 2030 by Tamara Thomsen, recent 3D wreck mapping work by Ken Merryman and the impact of wave lengths on Great Lakes ships and shipbuilding by Guy Meadows.

There will also be an update on the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association’s work on the Duluth Outer Pier Light Station by Kelsey Prihoda and an update on major construction at the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. by Michelle Briggs of the Soo Locks Visitor Center.

The admission cost for Saturday’s events, which also includes a luncheon, is $100 per person. A two-day admission for the events on both Friday and Saturday, not including Friday’s luncheon, is $150 per person. To register, click on the link below.

https://www.lsmma.com/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=605134&item_id=3072380

Image: A watercolor by Robert McGreevy of Jerome Kiah, keeper of the Point Aux Barques Life-Saving Station and six U.S. Life-Saving Service members attempting to rescue the crew of the schooner J. H. Magruder on April 25, 1880. Only Kiah survived the rescue attempt (Source: Robert McGreevy).

10/25/2026

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Wisconsin Water Library will co-host an on-line discussion of Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy by Tom Nelson and Jerald Podair.

The event begins at 7:00 p.m. CT and will take place on the Zoom platform. For more details or to register, click on the link below.

https://waterlibrary.wisc.edu/services/book-clubs/dive-into-history/

In their book, Nelson and Podair examine the loss of the Fitzgerald as both a maritime mystery and a symbol of the slow collapse of American manufacturing post-World War II. It includes interviews with families who had never spoken publicly about the sinking.

The authors also provide new details from a diver involved in a controversial 1994 expedition to the ship’s Lake Superior wreck site. They also delve into the post-tragedy legal battles and how the families of the lost crew were treated.

The upcoming discussion is part of the “Dive Into History” book club co-sponsored by the Historical Society and Sea Grant. The club is focused on the maritime history and shipwrecks of the Great Lakes region. It features books on those topics by regional authors, along with programs on shipwreck archaeology and historical research.

Image Sources: Michigan State University Press and the personal collection of Capt. William A. Hoey III showing the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in the 1960s.

10/24/2026

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the Grand Ledge Area District Library in Grand Ledge, Mich. will host a free presentation entitled “November Gales” by researcher, documentarian and author Ric Mixter. The 90-minute event begins at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Mixter will recount stories of shipwrecks and survival during the November storms on the Great Lakes during the 20th century, such as the Mataafa Storm of 1905, the Great Storm of 1913, the 1940 Armistice Day Storm and the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975.

The program is based on the many books Mixter has written and his interviews of mariners who experienced the storms. Pre-registration is required due to space limitations. To register, click on the link below.

https://gladl.libcal.com/event/16258707

Image: A painting by marine artist Robert McGreevy of the bulk freighter Isaac M. Scott in stormy seas. The ship and its crew were lost on Lake Huron during what became known as the Great Storm of 1913 (source: Robert McGreevy).

10/24/2026

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the Marquette Maritime Museum will host a commemoration of the 51st anniversary of the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET and take place at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. in Marquette, Mich.

Author and historian Fred Stonehouse will discuss the loss of the ship and its crew based on his seminal work, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. First published in 1977, the book has been revised and updated several times with additional material and research.

The commemoration will also include a performance of Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Michael Waite and a presentation entitled “Evolution of the Storm” by Rebecca Economides of the National Weather Service.

Admission is $5 per person at the door. For more details, click on the link below.

https://mqtmaritimemuseum.com/calendar-of-events

The event is part of the Maritime Museum’s “History on Tap” series, which is sponsored in part by the Ore Dock Brewing Co. and grants from Upper Michigan Energy Resources/WE Energies Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.

Image: A drawing of the Edmund Fitzgerald on its final voyage by marine artist Tony Strublic (Source: Maritime Drawings by Tony Strublic).

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Madison, WI
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http://www.aglmh.net/

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