It is with a heavy heart that we take a moment to remember and honor Ernest Haas, fondly known to many here as Ernie, who passed away on December 31, 2025. An artist, collaborator, and friend, Ernie’s paintings and spirit are woven deeply into the fabric of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, our mission, and our work.
Ernie’s involvement with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum reaches back to our earliest days. A distinguished local artist, Ernie became renowned for his meticulous and evocative paintings that brought Lake Champlain’s maritime history vividly to life. Drawing on archaeological discoveries, historical records, and close collaboration with Museum staff, his artwork translated research into images that helped audiences see history. From sunken vessels resting on the lakebed to working boats in motion and scenes of the region, Ernie’s works brought to life moments of the region’s maritime story that were otherwise left to imagination. Today, his paintings remain an essential part of how we interpret and share the lake’s history and heritage.
Beyond his artistic legacy, Ernie was a generous volunteer and friend to all here at the Museum. He volunteered and contributed hundreds of hours both on campus and aboard the replica vessel Lois McClure, always eager to lend his time, talents, and curiosity to the next project.
Ernie leaves behind a body of work that will continue to educate and inspire—and a community made better by his kindness, curiosity, and friendship. A large number of his paintings are a part of the Museum’s collection, which Ernie himself donated to the Museum in 2023. His vision will remain part of how we tell the lake’s stories for generations to come. A selection of Ernie’s paintings are available to explore for free in our digital collections at https://hub.catalogit.app/lake-champlain-maritime-museum/folder/ernest-haas-paintings
We’d like to end with this note from our executive director, Chris Sabick:
“Ernie’s artwork has come to illustrate much of how I visualize, and present, the amazing stories that have come out of our archaeological and historical research over the years. While Ernie is most frequently remembered for his visual interpretations of the Lake’s history, what I found most impactful was his generosity, kindness, and curiosity. Ernie was always ready for the next project, the next painting, the new research, and he tackled all of those things with vitality and infectious good humor. He was a wonderful human being, and he will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of meeting him. Fair winds and following seas, my friend.”
