History of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum Outdoor Artifacts

Detroit's Maritime Heritage

For over 60 years, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum has been THE place to learn about Detroit’s rich maritime heritage. However, it didn’t always look like this. The first museum was actually in a ship!

In 1949 the Detroit Historical Commission opened the Museum of Great Lakes History aboard the schooner J.T. Wing. The J.T. Wing was moored at the same site that houses the Dossin Great Lakes Museum today.

A Museum on a Boat
Where once thousands of schooners worked the Great Lakes, the J.T. Wing was the very last. She served as a museum for seven years, welcoming more than 400,000 visitors before age and rot finally ended her career. The artifacts were taken ashore and the J.T. Wing was burned on her mooring in the Detroit River.

Breaking Ground

The loss of the J.T. Wing created a void. A generous donation from the Dossin family was matched by the city, and a new building was constructed and dedicated on July 24, 1960.

Outdoor Enhancements

In 2013 the Dossin Great Lakes Museum received an extensive interior renovation after the Detroit Historical Society resumed management of the facility. In 2020 a new exterior landscape was completed. The grounds were reconfigured to allow greater outdoor enjoyment and make space for additional historical interpretation. As this site enters is seventh decade as Detroit’s maritime heritage center, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum continues to expand its accessibility to visitors from around the world.

War of 1812 Cannons

In front of the Dossin, you’ll find two naval cannons to the west of the Dossin’s maritime flags.

These naval cannons were used aboard ships in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The war was fought between a very young United States and Great Britain, one of the world’s mightiest militaries and sovereign over Lower and Upper Canada. Reasons for the war included international trade and diplomacy, tariffs, and the sanctity of American citizenship.

The War Continues
In front of the Dossin, you’ll find two naval cannons to the west of the Dossin’s maritime flags.

These naval cannons were used aboard ships in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The war was fought between a very young United States and Great Britain, one of the world’s mightiest militaries and sovereign over Lower and Upper Canada. Reasons for the war included international trade and diplomacy, tariffs, and the sanctity of American citizenship.

While it seemed that the U.S. was over-matched, Americans had two advantages. They outnumbered European Canadians tenfold, and the mighty British Army was preoccupied by Napoleon’s empire and ambition on the other side of the Atlantic.


On the Great Lakes, the British launched ships at Fort Amherstburg (today Malden) on the lower Detroit River, while the Americans were based out of Erie, Pennsylvania.

The two fleets met on western Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Through a series of calms and close-action cannon fire, the American fleet emerged victorious. American Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry sent the famous message to his commander, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” It was the first time that an entire British fleet had been captured, and the victory secured control of the Great Lakes region for the United States.

Cannons Become Artifacts

Who won the war? It depends on who you ask. At the time it was a source of pride for both sides. Historians generally agree it was a draw, with most issues going unresolved.


After the Battle of Lake Erie, the fleet was decommissioned. In 1863 these two cannons were discovered at a Detroit River wharf, upended as bollards for tying ships. They were recovered and placed in front of Detroit’s old City Hall in 1874. When that building was demolished in 1961, the cannons were brought to the new Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

The longer barrel to the east is a 24-pound gun, deadly at distances up to a quarter mile. The stout gun to the west is a 32-pound carronade, most effective at close range. The numbers refer to the weight of cannon ball that each fired. The barrel of the long gun weighs about 2.75 tons.

USS Yantic Anchor

In 1898, the ship was loaned to the State of Michigan as a training platform for its naval militia, based in Detroit. The vessel helped train a notable group of young volunteers that served with distinction aboard the auxiliary cruiser USS Yosemite in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

In 1917, the Yantic was recommissioned by the Navy, and served as a training ship at the Naval Training Center on Lake Michigan. Returning to militia duty after the war, the ship served as a naval ambassador, visiting ports around the lakes. In 1929 age caught up with the vessel, and she sank in her slip in the Detroit River adjacent to Gabriel Richard Park.

The Yantic Anchor Moves

The anchor was donated to the museum by the Koenig Coal and Supply Co. in 1960. In 2019, it was repositioned as part of the Outdoor Enhancements at the Dossin.

SS William Clay Ford Pilot House

The SS William Clay Ford was one of the workhorses of America’s industrial boom following World War II. Built in 1953 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, the WCF provided years of reliable service transporting iron ore and coal from the upper Great Lakes to the River Rouge Steel Plant, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.

A Vessel in Action
Launched as a 647-foot straight-decked vessel, the Ford was lengthened to 767 feet in 1979. It was named for the son of Ford Motor company founder Henry Ford. This pilot house was mounted on the bow (front) of the ship, with a separate engine and crew structure at the stern (back) – a very common profile for about a century.

Inside of the William Clay Ford House at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

SS Edmund Fitzgerald

One evening in 1974, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald anchored at the Detroit River’s Belle Isle Anchorage, 800 feet off Riopelle Street, east of the Renaissance Center. It was late in the season, and many of the buoys guiding the captain down the river had been pulled for the winter. As evening fog set in, the skipper decided to stop for the night, dropping anchor on the designated anchorage just downstream from Belle Isle.

A Tragedy on the Great Lakes
The next morning, as the crew worked to raise the starboard bow anchor, a chain link separated. The 12,290 pound anchor remained on the bottom of the Detroit River. The following season, the Fitzgerald was lost with all hands in a November storm on Lake Superior. The story captivated the continent.

Lost Mariners Memorial

This anchor serves as a memorial to the crew of the vessel known as “the Mighty Fitz.” It also stands as a tribute to the tens of thousands of mariners who died serving their ships, as well as the families and crew mates they left behind.

In 2019, as part of the Outdoor Enhancement Campaign, the S.S. Fitzgerald Anchor was re- positioned on the museum's eastern side as part of the new Lost Mariners Memorial.

Uniquely Detroit By Design

Designed by Detroit naval architect John L. Hacker and built by renowned boatwright Lester Staudacher, Miss Pepsi was launched in 1950. Two 1,710 cubic inch Allison engines designed for use in P-58 fighter planes produced 3,500 horsepower.

Miss Pepsi’s shape and beautifully varnished deck earned her the nickname, “the Mahogany Cigar.” Her hull was built with two “steps” on the bottom that helped break the water’s surface tension – the last of this breed, as modern “three-point” craft rapidly gained dominance.

Restored to Glory
In 1963, Miss Pepsi was restored by its builder and placed on permanent display in its own pavilion at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. It has since received a second restoration under the direction of Peggy and Doug Breck.

A Champion On The River

During Miss Pepsi’s career, driver Chuck Thompson earned numerous trophies for the Dossin Brothers. In 1950, 1951 and 1952 Miss Pepsi was the American Power Boat Association’s National High Points Champion. Retired after the 1952 season, the craft reappeared briefly in 1955.