Maritime Industry

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / Industry / Maritime Industry / Related Stories / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

Women in Shipbuilding during World War II

Most people recognize the patriotic World War II campaign of “Rosie the Riveter,” which aimed to recruit female workers to patch the gaps in industrial labor left by male military enlistment. Shipyards, specifically, hired women into the war effort at an exponential…

Read More

Comments Off on Women in Shipbuilding during World War II

June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Maritime Industry / Industry / Related Stories / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / 1945-1965 / Region 5 - Center East

Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal opened in 1881 to provide a sailing route through the Door Peninsula to both shorten the shipping distance between cities on Green Bay and Lake Michigan and to avoid the treacherous waters of the Porte des Mortes…

Read More

Comments Off on Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

June 10, 2025

Mercedes Herman's Welding Uniform / Military History / New Object Histories / Object Histories / Industry / Maritime Industry / Door County / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Sturgeon Bay / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 5 - Center East

OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform

At only sixteen years old, Mercedes Herman stepped forward as one of the first Wisconsin women to join the local manufacturing workforce in Door County during the second World War, operating as a shipyard welder at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.…

Read More

Comments Off on OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform

June 10, 2025

Military History / Manitowoc / Broad History / Industry / Maritime Industry / Related Stories / Manitowoc County / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

Manitowoc’s Maritime Identity

The city of Manitowoc has been deeply shaped by its maritime industry. Located directly on the shores of Lake Michigan, Manitowoc’s identity is intimately tied to the Great Lakes. Manitowoc utilized the access to Lake Michigan to build an economy fueled by…

Read More

Comments Off on Manitowoc’s Maritime Identity

May 29, 2023

Manitowoc / Maritime Industry / Industry / Object Histories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Manitowoc County / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Transportation & Tourism / Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

OBJECT HISTORY: Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

Many of us can easily picture a lighthouse in our minds. You may think of a tall structure that’s right along a lake or ocean, illuminating the water and land it protects. Whatever comes to mind, lighthouses have an everlasting cultural presence…

Read More

Comments Off on OBJECT HISTORY: Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

May 29, 2023

Maritime Industry / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / Politics & Government / Transportation & Tourism / Wind Point Lighthouse

Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Wisconsin’s Waterways

Orlando Metcalfe Poe (1832-1895) was an engineer who shaped the landscape of Wisconsin’s harbors and waterways, playing a crucial role in the development of Wisconsin’s commerce. Through his lighthouse designs and his design of major systems of ship locks and canals on…

Read More

Comments Off on Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Wisconsin’s Waterways

May 10, 2023