ALGOMA (NBC 26) — It may not be visible from shore, but the team that discovered the Margaret A. Muir shipwreck was surprised by its condition and by the reasons behind it.
- The Margaret A. Muir site off the coast of Algoma
- Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association describes how this wreck is different from the rest
- Neighbor Hans Nell in Algoma talks about his excitement with another shipwreck being found in the lakeshore community
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A team from the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association first discovered the Margaret A. Muir last July off the coast of Algoma.
“The wreck is an unusual wreck in that way, that she's just very clean and is an excellent architectural study," Brendon Baillod President of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA) said.
Watch the full story below about how this wreck is unique from the rest:
Just last month, it was added to Wisconsin's National Register of Historic Places.
“The Margaret Muir is also an interesting vessel," Baillod said.
The Muir was built in Manitowoc in 1872. It hauled cargo between Lake Michigan and the lower Great Lakes until it sank off the coast of Ahnapee now known as Algoma in 1893.
“She was carrying salt, bulk salt, and the salt obviously dissolved and formed a deep brine pool on the bottom and killed the biome of the area," Baillod said.
That salt, once intended for transport, ended up altering the wreck site in ways researchers didn’t anticipate.
“That also contributed, I think somewhat, to the preservation. In the brine, we don’t see any zebra mussels or quagga mussels on her,” Baillod said.
Neighbors in Algoma, like Hans Nell who’s lived in the area for over 60 years say that while it’s not the first shipwreck discovery along the lakeshore, it’s still something that gets people talking.
“Oh yeah, it's kinda nice to see or hear. It brings people around," Hans Nell said.
Though it lies at the bottom of the lake, the ship is more than just a wreck it’s a connection to Algoma's identity.
“Now an important part of Algoma's community history," Baillod said.
Though the address is currently restricted on the National Register of Historic Places, the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association says the location will be revealed at the Ghost Ships Festival in Manitowoc in February 2026.
