TOLEDO – July 1 is the centennial of the S.S. Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship and also marks the date she
will be rechristened to Col. James M. Schoonmaker.
This event marks the beginning of a three-day Centennial Celebration that will include a visit from the
Privateer Schooner LYNX, a historic Toledo Club boxing event aboard the ship and the annual Red White
Kaboom fireworks presentation.
On July 1, the Boyer, wearing her original Shenango Furnace Co. livery, will be rechristened to her
original namesake, Col James M. Schoonmaker, by James M. Schoonmaker II and his wife Treecie, at the
exact moment his mother Gretchen V. Schoonmaker christened the vessel 100 years earlier. Also in
attendance for the rechristening will be William P. Snyder III, grandson of the vessel’s original owner
William P. Snyder.
The vessel has been undergoing major restoration. As the future centerpiece of the National Great Lakes
Maritime Museum in Toledo, the Great Lakes Historical Society sees great value in achieving the vessel’s
complete restoration for her 100th anniversary. This project will mark the first major step towards the
national museum’s creation, and demonstrates the society’s firm commitment to the Toledo region.
Two benefactors who have made this project possible are the James M. Schoonmaker Foundation and Great
Lakes Historical Society. James M. Schoonmaker II has donated $100,000 through the James M. Schoonmaker
Foundation.