Built by the Huron Portland Cement Co. of Alpena, the S.T. Crapo was named for the company’s co-founder, Stanford Tappan Crapo. The self-unloading dry powdered cement carrier traversed the Great Lakes each shipping season from 1927 to 1996. Her last years of service were as a cement storage vessel in Green Bay, Wisc., for Inland Lakes Management. Sadly, in September 2022, the Crapo was towed to Marine Recycling Corp. of Port Colborne, Ontario, to be scrapped. Many families in Alpena have strong ties to the Crapo, as relatives served as engineers and crew.

In 2007, the Crapo’s lifeboat was donated to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society by Lafarge, then Holcim, and now Amrize, and transported from Green Bay to Alpena by Inland Lakes Management. Once it arrived in Presque Isle, volunteers with the Museum Society spent nearly 300 hours restoring it. In May 2008, the lifeboat was placed on view near the New Presque Isle Lighthouse and dedicated to the citizens of Presque Isle Township in memory of Lester R. Nichols II. Nichols’ vision and diligent efforts resulted in the acquisition of land and the development of the Presque Isle State Harbor, the 1840 Old Lighthouse, the 1870 New Lighthouse, and the Range Light for use as public parks.

Over the next 16 years, the weather took its toll on the lifeboat. The metal hull was in good condition, but the wood seats, gunwales, floorboards, rudder, and other fittings were deteriorated. Dennis Norton, restoration project manager, stated that the recent restoration would not have been possible without the generosity of the businesses who either donated their time and skills, or materials. Bill Baker, a master woodworker and owner of Straight-N-Level Construction in Herron, fabricated all the replacement wood pieces and Gregory and Kim Ritchie, owners of Inside Out Painting in Alpena, spent many hours priming and painting the individual components, along with the inside and outside of the hull. Three Alpena businesses generously donated the materials required for the restoration: Alro Steel Corporation (steel for brackets); Builders FirstSource (lumber for seats, gunwales, and floorboards); and Sherwin-Williams Paint (the various types of paint and primer for the wood pieces and metal fittings). According to Norton, the project began in the fall when volunteers documented the location of each piece of wood on a diagram, then removed the pieces to be replicated over the winter. From early May through July, the volunteers worked on site to reassemble the boat with the new pieces.

A Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan Community Impact Grant will fund the purchase of a winter cover for the lifeboat, and a maintenance plan developed by the Museum Society will protect it from deteriorating again.

Courtesy Photo Over the years, weather took its toll on the S.T. Crapo lifeboat, seen here before the recent restoration.

For more information and pictures of the restoration, visit presqueislelighthouses.org.

Courtesy Photo A team of volunteers worked for 10 months to restore the S.T. Crapo lifeboat. Pictured, from left, are Project Manager Dennis Norton, Mary O'Neill, Ted O'Neill, Dennis Wesner, Mike Beaulac, and Dave Wolf.