The William G. Mather has been a contributing fixture on Cleveland's waterfront for over 70 years; first as a working Great Lakes freighter (1925-1980) and since 1991, as northeast Ohio's only floating maritime museum. Built in 1925, as the flagship of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (Cleveland-Cliffs Inc), owners of one of the most prominent American Great Lakes fleets, it was state-of-the-art with respect to capacity, crew/passenger accommodations, and power.
        During its 55 years of service on the Great Lakes, the William G. Mather hauled millions of tons of iron ore, coal, grain, and even automobiles, from the Upper Great Lakes to manufacturing centers, such as Cleveland and Detroit. In early 1941, it led a convoy through the ice covered Upper Great Lakes, bringing back iron ore for the allied cause. It set a new record for the earliest date a ship started the Great Lakes shipping season.
        In 1987, the William G. Mather was saved from the scrapyard and restored to her former glory.  With donations of over 1.2 million dollars from Greater Cleveland foundations and corporations, and with more than 50 thousand volunteer hours from individuals, the William G. Mather was transformed into one of four Great Lakes freighter museum ships in existence and is now moored in Downtown Cleveland's North Coast Harbor Park at the East 9th Street Pier. The William G. Mather was designated an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark on July 30th, 1995. Call (216) 574-6262.

Hulett Ore Unloaders (Continued) ................

between 1898 and 1960, they revolutionized ore shipping on the Great Lakes, including vessel design. The Hulett Ore Unloaders at the C&P Ore Dock were built in 1912. These unloaders (with 17 ton buckets, electrically powered, and rated at 1000 tons per hour) and the men operating them, set many ore unloading records, and made the City of Cleveland the largest iron ore terminus in the world. They remained a dominant factor in ore unloading  for over 75 years, ceasing operation in 1992.
        The Hulett Ore Unloaders, Power House, accessorial buildings, and land improvements at the C&P Ore Dock on Cleveland's Lakefront at 5400 Whiskey Island have been designated a Cleveland Landmark by ordinance No. 816-93, passed by the Council of the City of Cleveland on June 14, 1993.
        The C & P Ore Dock Hulett Ore Unloaders were nominated and approved for designation as an ASME National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The C & P Ore Dock was also nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, CONRAIL declined both honors. The dock's transfer to public ownership opened the way for National register designation and the listing was completed in 1997. On August 2, 1998 at a ceremony attended by 488 aboard the Goodtime III, the Hulett Iron-Ore Unloaders were designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by ASME International.

        The Ohio Canal Corridor has been designated a National Heritage Corridor. The Hulett Ore Unloaders stand out as the single most important industrial artifact in the Ohio Canal Corridor. The Huletts will be included in its master plan, one which will identify the significant artifacts of our past with an action plan to preserve and interpret our history.