The George Barnes Memorial Wheelhouse (SS FERNGLEN)
In 1917, the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio built and launched the William A. Amberg. Throughout her nearly seventy years of service, the Amberg took on new lives, served new masters and charted many adventures as a Great Lakes Bulk Freighter.
1917
William A. Amberg
M. A. Hanna Co., (Producers' SS Co.)
Cleveland, Ohio
1932
Albert E. Heekin
Wilson Transit Co.,
Cleveland, Ohio
1955
Silver Bay
Republic Steel Corp.,
Cleveland, Ohio
1971
Silver Bay
Kinsman Marine Transit Co.,
Cleveland, Ohio
1975
Judith M. Pierson
Pierson Holdings Limited (The Soo River Company),
St. Catherines, Ontario
1982
Fernglen
Parrish & Heimbecker Limited,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Ultimately, Parrish & Heimbecker deemed she had reached the end of her useful life as a Great Lakes ship and she was sold for scrap on May 1, 1984. The Fernglen, as she was now known, was scrapped at Port Maitland Shipbreaking, Ltd. in Ontario.
"We laid up in Toronto that winter, and I was the last Captain to sail the Fernglen. She stayed there tied up alongside Pineglen, and a few years later, both ships went to the scrapyard.
After P&H bought out the bankrupt Soo River Company, they scrapped their smaller ships, such as Birchglen, Cedarglen, Fernglen, Pineglen and Elmglen, replacing them with Oakglen, Willowglen, Beechglen and Mapleglen."
Captain Richard D. Metz
In 2019, after the wheelhouse section had sat in the scrapyard for many years, the scrapyard owner, George Barnes, offered it to the Port Burwell Historical Society for rescue. The intent, transport it from Port Maitland to Port Burwell and install it at Pitt Street to add to the exhibit space for the Marine Museum.
Unfortunately, the plans to restore the Wheelhouse as an artifact dedicated to the shipping and commerce of the Great Lakes Bulk Freighters had to be put on hold due to the COVID pandemic.
The many lives of the Great Lakes bulk freighter, the William A Amberg
The Future of the Wheelhouse
At the Annual General Meeting in January, 2023 the Society members unanimously decided the time was right to resurrect the Wheelhouse restoration project.
Discussions were held with the Marine Museum Curator to determine the best use of the space the Wheelhouse presented.
It was decided to divide the space into three separate zones of interest: The Pilothouse, The Captain's Quarters and The Aft.
This plan was presented to the Museum Advisory Committee in April, 2024, it was approved and forwarded to the Municipality Council. On May 2nd, Council reaffirmed their commitment to the project.
Structural drawings have been prepared by a team from Eximius Engineering and the first stage of the restoration is expected to begin shortly after Canada Day.
Stay tuned for progress updates and pictures.
The Pilothouse
The Captain's Quarters
The Captain's Quarters
The Pilothouse will be restored to an image of its former self. This will be an interactive exhibit where patrons will be able to have hands-on experiences with the tools the crew would have relied on for the day-to-day operations of the Great Lakes Bulk Freighter; the wheel, the telegraph, the radio, the compass, etc.
The Captain's Quarters
The Captain's Quarters
The Captain's Quarters
The Captain’s Quarters will be restored to reflect the living conditions afforded the Ship’s Captain while he was a Master of a Great Lakes ship. The finish will be wood and the furnishings and accoutrements will be period correct. This will be a “display only” exhibit, meaning the entryway to the quarters will be open, but will be cordoned so patrons will only be able to view the quarters and not touch any of the artifacts on display.
The Aft
The Captain's Quarters
The Aft
The Aft will be a multi-purpose area that will provide great flexibility for the Marine Museum. It will be able to house specific exhibits that will be on display for a limited time. It will allow the Museum staff the space to implement their proposed living history sessions with the students of the Port Burwell Public School. It will provide a meeting area for community groups, like the Port Burwell Historical Society, to hold meetings in a well appointed and equipped area. And, lastly, it will provide some additional storage space for the Museum.
How can you help make our vision a reality
Lend A Helping Hand
Lend A Helping Hand
Lend A Helping Hand
There are many ways you can help.
We are in need of volunteers to help with the preparation of the site and with the restoration work effort.
We need skilled trades to help with HVAC, electrical and safety.
If you, your organization or business would like to help, please drop us a note using the button below. We will contact you when the project is ready to begin the actual restoration work in 2024 (after we get Municipal approval for our latest engineered drawings and all necessary permits).
Donations
Lend A Helping Hand
Lend A Helping Hand
Donations will be a critical part of our organization's restoration efforts. We need you to help us reach our project goal.
Please consider making a donation by clicking on the donation button below and you will be connected to our Go Fund Me page.