Surviving Essex-Built Vessels
Thousands of vessels have been built in Essex since 1668. While our vessel list documents many of them, this page highlights some known survivors, remarkable boats that continue to sail, teach, race, work, and inspire around the world.
Each represents generations of craftsmanship, care, and commitment. Their survival depends on the people and organizations who continue to maintain, restore, and sail them. We encourage you to visit these vessels, support the museums and nonprofits that care for them, volunteer when you can, and, whenever possible, step aboard. There is no better way to understand Essex's shipbuilding tradition than by experiencing these wooden boats as living craft.
The list below is an ongoing project. If you know of an Essex-built vessel that should be included or have additional information to share, we'd love to hear from you.
Modern Essex-Built Schooners
Harold Burnham’s Passenger Fishermen
Built by local treasure, the Wizard of Essex, Harold Burnham
In the late twentieth century, master shipwright Harold Burnham helped ensure that Essex's shipbuilding tradition remained a living craft rather than a chapter in history. Drawing on generations of family knowledge and traditional heavy-construction methods, he built a new fleet of wooden schooners that honored the working vessels of the past while serving new generations under sail.
The Burnham family traces its roots in Essex to the earliest years of the town, arriving aboard the Angel Gabriel in 1635 alongside members of the Story family. For nearly four centuries, both families have helped shape Essex's identity as a shipbuilding community. Harold's work represents the continuation of that remarkable tradition, proving that wooden ships are still being built, sailed, and loved on the Essex River.
We encourage you to sail aboard these vessels, support the organizations that operate them, and experience for yourself the craftsmanship and seamanship that continue to define Essex today.
Schooner Thomas E Lannon (1997) – Charter Schooner out of Gloucester
Our own Schooner Lewis H. Story (1998) – EHSSM Flagship
Schooner FAME (2003) – Charter Schooner out of Boston
Schooner Isabella (2005) – Charter Schooner out of Gloucester
Schooner Ardelle (2011) – Charter Schooner out of Gloucester
The Seven Surviving Essex-Built Vessels Before 1950
More than 4,000 wooden vessels were built in Essex between 1668 and 1950. Today, only seven are known to survive. Together, they represent the last living links to more than three centuries of craftsmanship that made Essex one of America's great shipbuilding communities.
Their continued survival depends on the museums, nonprofits, volunteers, and private owners who care for them. We encourage you to visit these vessels, support the organizations that steward them, and, whenever possible, experience them in person.
Schooner Lettie G. Howard (1893) – South Street Seaport in New York
Schooner Ernestina ex/Effie M. Morrissey (1894) – Recently restored, MMA Training Vessel
Fishing Schooner L.A. Dunton (1921) – on exhibit at Mystic Seaport
Pilot Schooner Highlander Sea ex/Pilot (1924) – An oyster bar in NYC SUNK July 2026 - Fate unkown
Schooner Roseway (1925) – used in World Oceans School programs
Fishing Schooner Adventure (1926) – Sailing out of Gloucester
Fishing Schooner Evelina M. Goulart (1927) – On exhibit at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum
