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4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Historic Baileys Harbor shipwreck isn't the wreck they thought, but it's still historic
A shipwreck in the waters off Baileys Harbor was relisted on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places under a new name after the Wisconsin Historical Society announced May 29 the wreck isn't of the ship it first thought it was. And it took an old insurance form to make the final call. The wreck is of the Joseph Cochrane, a 131-foot-long schooner that sank in about 10 to 15 feet of water about 563 feet southwest of the Old Baileys Harbor Lighthouse (aka the "Bird Cage" lighthouse). It previously was identified as the wreck of the Christina Nilsson, and was listed on both the state and national historic place registers under that name in 2003, but the historical society's announcement said subsequent knowledge and information that wasn't available back then led the society to now positively identify it as the Cochrane. The Joseph Cochrane was built in Rochester, New York, and launched from there in 1856. According to the Wisconsin Shipwrecks website, it initially hauled mostly grain, bringing corn and wheat from Chicago to Buffalo, but its primary cargo became lumber for the Chicago market, also hauling grain and coal, by the late 1860s as it went through a number of ownership changes. The three-masted schooner also went through a number of wrecks over the years. The Wisconsin Shipwrecks site documents at least four collisions or sinkings in the 14 years the Cochrane plied its trade on the Great Lakes before its final wreck off Door County. That last wreck came after the Cochrane sprung a leak while sailing through a storm and carrying a load of lumber in the northern part of Lake Michigan the night of Oct. 23, 1870. The crew attempted to pump out the ship, before the next morning Capt. Charles Anderson tried to get to Baileys Harbor for shelter. But Wisconsin Shipwrecks says Anderson unfortunately missed the navigation channel and the Cochrane became stranded on a reef on the east side of the harbor. The water was high, so the crew had to remain on the ship until they were rescued by another boat the morning of Oct 25. After that, the Cochrane rapidly went to pieces in high winds and water and sank below the surface within a week. Its lumber cargo washed ashore, and the site says the schooner Market Drayton sailed to Baileys Harbor on Nov. 11 and was able to retrieve 100,000 feet of the lumber. The Cochrane's owners carried no insurance, and its final enrollment document was surrendered June 30, 1871. The Wisconsin Shipwrecks site says the Cochrane's remains are well-preserved, although somewhat flat, with part of its lower hull intact and major structural components, its framing and one windlass stanchion still on hand. Because the wreck site also has enough dynamic water action, few invasive quagga mussels have colonized the interior of the bilge, allowing for detailed observation. As for the Christina Nilsson, it's now thought it also lies near the old lighthouse off Baileys Harbor, close to the Cochrane. The Nilsson also was a three-masted cargo schooner, measuring 139 feet to the Cochrane's 131, that sank with a load of pig iron Oct. 25, 1884. Surveys of the wreck were conducted in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2021 by maritime archaeologists from the historical society and Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association. But while the wreck was first identified as the Nilsson, it now has been determined to be the Cochrane. The Wisconsin Shipwrecks site says the new identification is based on its dimensions, location and a comparison of vessel losses in the vicinity based on historic newspaper accounts. And Tamara Thomsen, maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, told the Advocate the most definitive new information came from an insurance claim form on the Nilsson in which the insurance man wrote the Nilsson's remains were in a cove between two reefs on the northeast side of Old Baileys Harbor Lighthouse. The Cochrane is on the southwest side of the lighthouse. That said, Thomsen said the historical society hasn't yet positively identified the wreck of the Nilsson. She said there are pieces of wrecks from at least one other ship around that cove, so maritime archaeologists need to be able to determine which were part of the Nilsson, although she added she's "pretty sure" most or all of its is the Nilsson. Thomsen said the historical society will file documentation with the National Register of Historic Places to relist the site under the Cochrane's name. She said the national register generally agrees to do so, but its staff has to pore through the documentation and verify the accuracy. And Thomsen said because of the number of wrecks in the area, and because Baileys Harbor was an important location in Great Lakes maritime history, she hopes to have the historical society declare an archaeological district there, then get the district placed on the state historic place register. State and federal laws protect the wreck of the Joseph Cochrane. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting the site. Removing, defacing, displacing or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. For more information on the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit For more on the Cochrane, the Christina Nilsson and other Wisconsin shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, visit Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Door County man gets max sentence for defrauding clients of $1.1 million MORE: Cellcom will adjust customers' phone bills due to cell service outage FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County shipwreck relisted as historic place with new correct name
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CoreCivic inmate sues Trousdale Turner prison staff over alleged extortion
An inmate at CoreCivic's Trousdale Turner prison in Tennessee is suing prison administrators for allowing gang members to assault him. (Photo: Kansas Reflector) A Trousdale Turner Correction Center inmate serving time at a privately-run prison in Tennessee is suing the warden and staff for allowing gang members to assault him and extort money from his mother. Filed in May in U.S. District Court in Nashville, the lawsuit claims gang members at the CoreCivic prison in Trousdale County threatened to assault inmate Charles Anderson if his mother and two family friends didn't send them money, then beat and sexually assaulted him anyway after he complained to prison staff. Trousdale Turner already faces a federal civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for gang violence and murders. The lawsuit names prison warden Vince Vantell, assistant warden Keith Huggins, investigator Robert Fohrd and a sergeant at the facility, which is run by the Brentwood-based prison operator under contract with the state of Tennessee. U.S. Department of Justice opens investigation into CoreCivic Trousdale County prison The filing says almost as soon as Anderson was transferred to Trousdale Turner in October 2023, he became the repeated victim of violence, with gang members stealing his property and threatening and inflicting violence on him. Gang members ordered him to buy back the stolen items in a well-known prison extortion scheme, according to the filing. Anderson then instructed his elderly mother to pay gang members' affiliates outside the prison through mobile methods or a 'green dot' card or else he would be severely harmed or killed. Gang members armed with shanks forced him to call his mother and ordered him to tell her to make payments between $40 and $150. 'These calls were placed from (Trousdale Turner Correctional Center) lines and presumably monitored by staff at TTCC,' the filing says. When the inmate's mother couldn't afford to make the payments, he asked two family friends for 'protection' payments to 'preserve his life.' The family friends told Fohrd about the extortion and threats, yet the staff member did 'nothing' meaningful to intervene or put Anderson in protective custody, the filing says. In May 2024, the family friend sent multiple emails to the warden's office about the 'incessant' extortion, and at one point a prison official told the friend they were 'committed' to placing him in protective custody. Yet in June 2024, Anderson was assaulted again, and in October 2024, he was sexually assaulted by at least four gang members with a broom handle. They claimed he owed them $1,000 for 'debt.' No staff members intervened, the filing says. The victim received treatment at Nashville General Hospital in October, but when he returned to the prison, gang members attacked him again and poured 'scalding hot water' on his face as he slept. Despite receiving medical treatment, he wasn't placed in protective custody and was attacked again and threatened if he didn't perform sexual favors for the gang members, which he refused to do, according to the filing. A corrections officer recommended he be put in protective custody, and staff reviewed the request. After repeated complaints and a request to file a Prison Rape Elimination Act complaint, Anderson met with prison officials when Vantell told him it was 'okay if he was gay.' Anderson replied that he wasn't. 'This interaction was an attempt to cover-up the rape as a consensual act and escape liability for the defendants' acts and omissions,' the filing says. The defendants denied his requests for protective custody, alleging he 'was not honest about why he needed protective custody' and 'became argumentative with the board' of prison officials. In December 2024, Fohrd spoke with the inmate's mother and told her to pay the gang members 'one more time' to buy back his property and he would be put into protective custody. The filing says the phone call was made in the presence of Anderson and gang members. 'Because the defendants failed to stop gang violence and extortion directed towards Mr. Anderson and his family, the violence and extortion continues, without reprieve, even to present,' the filing says. Since last October, the victim has received multiple disciplinary write-ups for refusing his cell assignment, because he believes 'segregation' is the only way to be protected from 'constant gang violence,' according to the filing. Yet he remains in the general population. Vantell resigned as warden in April after being placed on involuntary administrative leave amid the Department of Justice investigation into inmate physical and sexual violence, as well as understaffing at Trousdale Turner. The plaintiffs are represented by Moseley & Moseley Attorneys in Murfreesboro and Leanne Thorne in Lexington, Tennessee. A CoreCivic spokesman said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation but added that 'the safety and well-being of every person in our care is a top priority for our leadership and the staff at our Trousdale Turner Correctional Center.' CoreCivic 5-22-25 SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fort Concho continues Memorial Day event
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — It's a time old tradition at fort Concho, and every year the fort puts together a Memorial Day event. It is a day, Fort Concho Site Manager Bob Bluthardt said is one of the worthiest places to honor Veterans. 'San Angelo is a military town. It was founded in 1867 as the little town across the river from Fort Concho. We are still here a hundred and 165 years later,' he said. 'On the ground that we now stand, hundreds, if not thousands soldiers and civilians served the nation defending the frontier.' The event started with the Pledge of Allegiance and featured Army veteran Charles Anderson, who recounted stories depicting the sacrifices military personnel made and continue to make when enlisting to fight on behalf of the United States. Military Veteran King Walker said Memorial Day can be a difficult day filled with emotion, for both Veterans and their families. 'Well, if you know more than zero people who that have served our country, and died for our country, that's too many,' he said. 'Unfortunately, most Veterans know people that have perished.' Joyce Grey is with the Daughters of the American Revolution, Pocahontas Chapter, with two ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. 'There are so many different wars, and we only thing of the previous ones, like Desert Storm, Gulf storms or things like that. You got to think back to World War II, World War I, The Korean War, The War of 1812, The American Revolution,' she said. The Vietnam War included, are all important to think back on, she said. And always remember the men and women who fought for the country. Bob Bluthardt is thankful for those who attended. 'We just appreciate the community's support, and we will be doing this every year as long as the fort is here,' he said. 'And I hope that's forever.' The memorial salutes were performed by the Fort Concho Living History Program and the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
