Port Washington’s Shipwreck Graveyard: A Walking Tour Along the Coast

If you like seafaring tales featuring heroes and cowards, set against a backdrop of tempests and fires, then this walking tour along Port Washington’s beautiful marina is the tour for you!

Starting in front of the Port Washington Historical Society 1860 Light Station, you’ll wind your way around the city’s scenic harbor, through Fishermen’s Park, and across a bridge to Coal Dock Park. As you walk, you’ll be entertained by stories about the crusty characters that built Wisconsin between 1830 and 1930 using the “water highway,”Lake Michigan.

This isn’t a tour filled with dry facts. Instead, you’ll hear the dramatic retelling of six shipwrecks that took place just off Port Washington’s shores. Along the way, you’ll discover Lake Michigan’s perilous past and the often ill-fated history of maritime travel.

As a fiction writer of 58 books, I’m always on the lookout for a good story and, when I uncovered the tale of a shipwrecked sailor rescued by a horse, I was hooked! As a proud Port Washington resident, the more I learned about our local shipwrecks, the more I wanted to bring these terrific tales to life with this tour around the harbor.

On this 45-minute walk, you’ll have a chance to:

• Find out why Port Washington’s lightkeepers were spared the “madness” that afflicted others
• See the SS Milwaukee, otherwise known as the ”Death Boat”, and find out where it was finally discovered – and what was inside
• Hear the very last message sent from a ship’s purser, as it disappeared beneath the water
• Discover why the Niagara is called “Wisconsin’s Titanic”
• Meet the captains, crew and passengers who gambled everything to battle gale force winds and tempestuous storms, along with one particularly cowardly congressman
• Listen to the story of the Senator and its Black Thursday death toll
• Stroll through Rotary Park and learn about Smith Bros Fish Shanty and their connection to the horse hero

So join me, Barbara Joosse, on this walk along Port Washington’s shipwreck graveyard and hear the tales that still haunt the harbor. There are plenty of places to stop along the way for ice cream, a sandwich or a nice cold beer.