Renovated Dossin Great Lakes Museum to reopen Saturday

**Jimaz** · May-12-13, 04:18 PM

From today's Free Press:

Renovated Dossin Great Lakes Museum to reopen Saturday

After a five-month remodeling project, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum will reopen Saturday with new exhibits and interactive features that pay homage to Detroit and the waterways that helped it become one of the most important cities in America....

...The Detroit River-cam has also been updated to give viewers better, high-definition imagery.

**Hermod** · May-12-13, 06:02 PM

The original Dossin Martime Museum located in the old lumber schooner J.T. Wing on Belle Isle.

Attachment 19968

**canuck** · May-12-13, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

The original Dossin Martime Museum located in the old lumber schooner J.T. Wing on Belle Isle.

Attachment 19968

What a looker eh Hermod?

**Hermod** · May-12-13, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

What a looker eh Hermod?

Right after the war, the JT Wing was a hulk that they beached on Belle isle and is was canted over to one side with the masts and spars omn the ground next to her. Later they built the earthen dyke so that she would sit upright and somewhat restored the upper works. They then re-rigged her. The museum was in the old lumber hold which was a large open space.

Between the rot getting ahead of them and the DFD concerns about the whole thing catching fire with a large crowd inside, they built the current museum over on the main island and moved all the artifacts over there.

I can't remember after all these years if she was dismantled in place or just burned.

From Wiki:

"
Originally founded in 1949 as the City Maritime Museum, aboard the J.T. Wing wooden schooner, which was the last commercial sailing ship on the Great Lakes, the museum was shuttered by 1956, because of the deteriorating condition of the schooner.
With $125,000 worth donations from Detroit's Dossin family, and a matching subsidation by the city's historical commission, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum broke ground on May 21, 1959, and was opened on July 24, 1961, at the former Belle Isle location of the J.T. Wing.^[1]"

**canuck** · May-12-13, 06:59 PM

Thanks Hermod, great story.

**Zacha341** · May-12-13, 08:25 PM

Thanks! Love this stuff. I'd forgotten about how cool the river-cam is from not checking it out in a while. Cool! There's one up north at the "Soo" locks/ canals too...

I look forward to going to the re-opening!

Originally Posted by Jimaz

From today's Free Press:

Renovated Dossin Great Lakes Museum to reopen Saturday

**southofbloor** · May-13-13, 09:17 PM

This makes me happy

**Ltdave** · May-14-13, 06:14 PM

its a small but very interesting museum for sure...

my family and i like it very much...

**the rock** · May-16-13, 01:04 PM

I am unable to get down to the Dossin this weekend for the official reopening, but for those who do make it, perhaps they could post and tell me if the many name boards from Great Lakes freighters that have been scrapped are still hanging from the ceiling.
I was quite closely connected with the Dossin for about 30 years when the GLMI was a viable organization and we were quite proud of the name board collection. I remember when Pat Labadie and I brought back the name board from the old Altadoc's pilot house in the 60's while she was tied up one winter in Goderich and awaiting the scrapper's torch. I doubt if we would get through Canadian Customs as easily today.
And although the Dossin has had a couple of revamps even before the current one, I just don't recall if the name boards are still displayed or not. Thank you.