by Tom Larsen
Bringing the Lois McClure to Essex helps reconnect with the shipwrecks she was constructed from. The General Butler was built in Essex, and whenever we dock at the Essex Shipyard, it’s easy to imagine what it looked like 150 years ago. Canal boats and lake schooners lined up on the wharves, getting filled with cargo headed around the lake and headed off across the state on the canal system. The old photographs always help the imagination too.
One of the treats of being at Essex, aside from the historical connection, is being hosted by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for LCMM, Darcey Hale. She always brings us to her house just up the road in Westport, and treats us to a fantastic dinner. This time was particularly special, as she gave us a tour of the work she has been doing on the records and artifacts from the old quarry site on her property. The sheer amount of material involved is mind boggling, and she has done an amazing job getting it all organized.
After our last school groups of the season and an afternoon with the public, we were ready to head to Vergennes for our final stop of the 2012 season.
Special Thanks to:
- Nick Muller
- Essex Shipyard
- Darcey Hale
Tom Larsen
First Mate