About the Inland Seas Maritime Museum

The Great Lakes Historical Society was founded in Cleveland, Ohio. In May 1944, a group of individuals dedicated to Great Lakes history decided to organize a Society to preserve and make known this rich history. Clarence S. Metcalf, then director of the Cleveland Public Library, was a driving force in establishing the Society. For a time the early "museum" was located at a branch of the Cleveland Public Library. As the Society's artifacts and archives grew, it became necessary to find a new home for the Society and museum.

In 1953, Commodore Albert F. Wakefield, who owned the Wakefield Lighting Company in Vermilion, donated his magnificent home, "Harbor View," to Bowling Green State University. This home and property was located at the end of Main Street on the Lake Erie shoreline in Vermilion. BGSU, in turn, leased the site to The Great Lakes Historical Society. Eventually, the Society purchased the building from BGSU in 1979. Built in 1909, Harbor View is listed on the National Historic Register. Today it houses the Clarence S. Metcalf Research Library downstairs, and the Society's administrative offices upstairs.

In 1967-68, a unique two-floor wing was added to Harbor View, which is now the Inland Seas Maritime Museum. This wing allows for more exhibit space and expanded library space in the Wakefield home.

In June 1992, a replica of the 1877 Vermilion Lighthouse that once stood at the entrance to Vermilion Harbor was erected and dedicated on the Society's property. The lighthouse has become a symbol of Vermilion.
Learn more about the Vermilion Lighthouse.

In September 1992, an original pilothouse from the Great Lakes ore/car carrier CANOPUS, built in 1905, was added to the 1968 structure overlooking the lake. Visitors list the pilouthouse as one of their favorite displays.
Learn more about the CANOPUS.

In 1999, the Society acquired property and a building behind the museum. In June 2000, it opened a Lake Erie shipwreck research center in that annex. This state of the art shipwreck center, now called the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center, provides the most comprehensive database collection of information available on Lake Erie shipwrecks in the country.