National Museum of the Great Lakes celebrates Ding Schoonmaker Day

Visitors enjoyed a bright sunny day with their friends and families as they walked aboard the historic Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship admission-free in honor of Ding Schoonmaker Day on Monday.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes offered free admission onto the Schoonmaker to tourists who bought a museum-only ticket to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the ship’s rechristening and honor Ding Schoonmaker, grandson of Col. James M. Schoonmaker, who was a significant part of the ship’s restoration.

The ship was rechristened back to its original name in 2011 — from the S.S. Willis B. Boyer to the S.S. James. M. Schoonmaker — almost 100 years after the ship was commissioned in 1911.

“This is the largest artifact that we have in our collection,” said Ashley Streichert, marketing and communications manager for the National Museum of the Great Lakes, who also alluded to the tugboat Ohio. “Seeing both of the boats gives you an opportunity to really go back in time. It’s a self-guided tour, but we do have volunteers on board if you have any questions.”

The celebration saw local and out-of-town visitors guide themselves around the vessel.

Visitors like Gary and Elaine Parsons, who took a day trip from Medina, could be seen touring the captain’s living quarters and the ship’s massive engine room, reading framed facts about the ship on the walls as they walked through the room.

Touring the ship had been on their bucket list for a few years, the couple said, before they finally decided to check it off the list for Ding Schoonmaker Day.

“I’m just amazed,” Mr. Parsons said. “My empathy goes out to the people that lived on these ships under these conditions [because] we know that the Great Lakes can be very treacherous.”

Toledo residents Julie Wood and Steve North watched their toddler grandchildren play the part of crew members of the Schoonmaker, pretending to steer the ship in different directions as they looked at the lake in front of them.

The pair had already planned to visit the museum Monday, they said, but didn’t realize they would be able to tour the freighters for free with the purchase of a museum ticket in honor of Ding Schoonmaker.

“We’ve been doing different things around the city with them for summer fun, and this [was] definitely on our bucket list,” Ms. Wood said. “It’s educational and it’s engaging because they can walk around and participate. I love that it’s self-guided, and it allows them to have a little more freedom and move at their own pace.”