Name/Title
Schooner E.J. McVeaEntry/Object ID
2022.80.05Tags
Collecting the Art Coast, Garden ArtDescription
A. Colored pencil rendering of the E.J. McVea, a three-masted schooner, alone on orderly waves. According to the donor, the drawing was done by Joe Norris of Kingston Ontario in the late 19th century.
Framed in brown wood frame with gold insert and blue and beige mats.
B. Photocopy of transcript of 1879 "Note of Protest" describing the E.J. McVea's journey from Ludington, Michigan to Chicago that due to a leak in the hull, required the dumping overboard of 90000 feet of lumber to keep the vessel from sinking. Original document is at 2022.80.06
C. Photocopy of "Schooner E.J. McVea" By Alan Anderson for The Sampler published by Sombra Township Museum, March 2016
D. Photocopy of "Schooner E. J. McVea History" Built 1873 at Allegan, MI by Jacobsen & Co. Named for Capt. McVea's wife Elizabeth Jane
E. Photocopy of Newspapers.com article "Schooner E J McVea-Dec 9, 1878-Sam McVea"Type of Drawing
Colored PencilCollection
Nautical, Artworks, 1835 Logging and Lumbering, Transportation: water, 1840 ShipbuildingCataloged By
Winthers, SallyLocation
* Untyped Location
AC bay 24 long worksRoom
Art Conservation RoomRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
E.J. McVea (ship), McVea, Charles E. 1835-1894, McVea, Elizabeth Jane (Warnock) 1841-1915Interpretative Labels
Label
From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery
[drawing was displayed with wooden half-hull model 2022.80.02]
Schooner E.J. McVea
Pencil and watercolor drawing and wooden hull model
Artistry takes many forms and this model and drawing evoke the history of sailing and shipbuilding at the Lakeshore.
The hull model served a technical and practical purpose in the layout and construction of wooden ships. The drawing memorializes the vessel, part of a tradition in maritime art extending back into the Age of Exploration.
How do the fluid lines of drawing and model help you understand the
age of sail over 150 years later?
Built in 1873 at Allegan, Michigan on the Kalamazoo River by shipbuilders Jacobsen & Company, the three-masted sailing vessel was named for Captain McVea's wife, Elizabeth Jane.
The E. J. McVea was one of hundreds of wooden vessels built in Kalamazoo river shipyards from Allegan, Saugatuck, and Singapore in the late 1800s.
The McVeas have a storied history as ship captains and farmers. Around 1900 they sold some of their farmland to eager visitors from Chicago and St Louis, the beginning of the boom in summer cottages built on Lakeshore Drive.
Gift of the McVey family
Accession 2022.80.05Create Date
July 19, 2024Update Date
September 15, 2026
