Topsail Schooner O.J. HALE, built in Trenton, MI, 1874 Photo: Harry R. Enlow

Captain H.C. Inches Model Ship Collection (Great Lakes Historical Society)

The Great Lakes have played a vital role in the development of the many communities along the north-coast of Ohio. Not only have the Great Lakes been an important inspiration for maritime architecture, military strategy and innovations in commercial industry, the Inland Seas have more recently played an integral role in the revitalization of the region with respect to tourism and the recreational industry. Currently, the Inland Seas Maritime Museum illustrates this important aspect of the community through a one-of-a-kind collection of model ships that sailed the Great Lakes.

The Inches Collection, named for Captain H. Chesley Inches, consists of dozens of model ships built by Captain Inches while he served as a captain on the Great Lakes in the first half of the 20th century. The models range from a schooner gunboat involved in the Battle of Lake Erie to a 1000-foot modern day freighter that supplies northeast Ohio industry with raw materials like iron ore and coal. This collection allows the Inland Seas Maritime Museum to teach young and old alike the political, economic and social history of this region through the medium of model ships. Created from Inches' experience and memory of life on the Great Lakes, these models are priceless folk art creations that tell this region's story like no other medium can.

Originally submitted by: Paul E. Gillmor, Representative (5th District).

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