Shipwrecks & History of Lake Champlain
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from the 1860 shipwrecked schooner Sarah Ellen.
Now viewable HERE.
A sampling of the shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Champlain.
Shipwreck Tours!
See a shipwreck - without getting wet! The museum offers this exciting on-water program, Shipwrecks! An excursion boat takes participants out on the lake to the site of a historic shipwreck. There, the operator deploys a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) like those used by nautical archaeologists. Participants view the ROV as it explores the details of the site, instantly relaying images to an on-board monitor.Read more about Shipwreck Tours!
Read more about our research on Lake Champlain's shipwrecks from our archaeological reports:
Lake Champlain Underwater Cultural Resources Survey Reports:
Valcour Bay Research Project Report (15.0MB)
The gunboat Philadelphia's salvage team:
from left to right,
J. Rupert Schalk, William Lilja,
and Lorenzo Hagglund.
Photo courtesy the Smithsonian Institution.
The states of New York and Vermont have established the Lake Champlain Historic Preserve System to provide access for divers to some of the Lake's historic shipwrecks.
A brief outline of the history of the Champlain Valley, focused on the maritime aspects of Lake Champlain.
Do you have relatives in this area that were involved in the 19th century commerical boating? See our listing of canalers, shipwrights, and boat names. If you have additional information, we'd love to include it. Email us at info@lcmm.org or call (802) 475-2022.