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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Historic gold pocket watch that was lost in deadly shipwreck is finally returned home 165 years later
After lying hidden beneath the depths of Lake Michigan for over a century, a historic gold pocket watch - lost in a deadly shipwreck - has finally made it home to the United Kingdom. In the dead of night in 1860, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with another vessel, plunging into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan and dragging 300 souls to a watery grave in what remains the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history, BBC reported. Then, in 1992, while exploring the wreckage off the Illinois shore, divers made a remarkable discovery - nestled among the remains lay a gold pocket watch, still attached to its chain and fob. But this was no ordinary chain - engraved with the initials 'H.I.,' it once belonged to Herbert Ingram, a prominent British journalist and politician. Now, 165 years after the tragic sinking, the piece of history has returned to Boston, Lincolnshire - near Ingram's hometown - where it will take its rightful place on display at the Boston Guildhall museum. 'Returning this watch is the right thing to do,' Holland-based historian and author Valerie van Heest told Fox 17 News. 'This is reminding people that shipwrecks affected people, affected families, and this shows that 165 years later, we care,' she added. 'People care about the individuals lost.' After lying hidden beneath the depths of Lake Michigan for over a century, a historic gold pocket watch - lost in a deadly shipwreck - has finally made it home to the United Kingdom (pictured) In the dead of night in 1860, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with another vessel, plunging into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan and dragging 300 souls to a watery grave in what remains the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history (pictured: illustrated wreck) It was no ordinary chain - engraved with the initials 'H.I.,' it once belonged to Herbert Ingram, a prominent British journalist and politician who perished in the wreck alongside his son (pictured: illustrated photo of Ingram) Now, 165 years after the tragic sinking, the piece of history has returned to Boston, Lincolnshire - near Ingram's hometown - where it will take its rightful place on display at the Boston Guildhall museum (pictured) On the night of September 8, 1860, Lady Elgin was making her return voyage to Milwaukee from Chicago, carrying a group of mostly Irish passengers, when a violent storm swept across the lake. In the darkness, the Lady Elgin was struck by the Augusta - an unlit and overloaded schooner - sending hundreds to their deaths in just minutes. Among the lives lost in the wreck were Ingram and his son, whose bodies were later recovered and returned to Britain for burial. Ingram was a prominent public figure - instrumental in bringing fresh water, gas and railway connections to the community, as reported by the BBC. 'He was a member of parliament,' van Heest told Fox 17. 'He was also the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper,' she added. 'So he was really the founder of pictorial journalism.' All that remained of that fateful night were fragments of the Lady Elgin, scattered across nearly a mile of the lakebed - silent echoes of tragedy that van Heest's team began documenting back in 1992. On the night of September 8, 1860, Lady Elgin was making her return voyage to Milwaukee, carrying a group of mostly Irish passengers, when a violent storm swept across the lake -resulting in an unlit schooner colliding with the ship (pictured: illustrated wreck) Among the lives lost in the wreck were Ingram and his son, whose bodies were later recovered and returned to Britain for burial (pictured: Lake Michigan) Ingram (pictured) was a prominent public figure - instrumental in bringing fresh water, gas and railway connections to the community and the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper Holland-based historian and author Valerie van Heest's team was exploring the wreckage (pictured) in 1992, but the location was leaked - resulting in other divers exploring the remains and ultimately finding the gold watch But her team wasn't the only group drawn to the century-old wreckage, as other divers were also exploring the site. 'The location had leaked, and a trio of divers I have just recently learned, came upon a pocket watch,' van Heest told Fox News. 'A gold pocket watch, an extraordinary discovery.' Remarkably, the long-lost artifact was found in relatively good condition, with experts attributing its preservation to the lake's cold, low-oxygen depths, which helped prevent significant corrosion over the years, People reported. However, for more than 30 years, the divers guarded the discovery of the 16-carat pocket watch in complete secrecy, keeping its existence hidden from the world. Eventually, the divers cleaned the watch and reached out to van Heest. Through her research, she found that Ingram's descendants were still alive in England, and that the museum in his hometown was preparing an exhibit about his legacy, as reported by Fox. 'I very quickly came to the realization it doesn't belong in America,' van Heest told the BBC. Remarkably, the long-lost artifact (pictured) was found in relatively good condition, with experts attributing its preservation to the lake's cold, low-oxygen depths, which helped prevent significant corrosion over the years However, for more than 30 years, the divers guarded the discovery of the 16-carat pocket watch in complete secrecy - until they contacted van Heest (pictured) about the watch, which she purchased and donated to the town Through her research, she found that Ingram's descendants were still alive in England, and that the museum in his hometown was preparing an exhibit about his legacy (pictured: Ingram statue) In a statement about van Heest's offering, the museum's arts and heritage manager, Luke Skeritt, said: 'This find is truly a once-in-a-lifetime discovery' (pictured: van Heest and Boston mayor Councilor Barrie Pierpoint) 'It belongs in Boston where Herbert Ingram was from, where a statue of him still stands,' she added. She then got in contact with the Boston Guildhall museum and personally acquired the watch, determined to donate it as a gift to the town. 'So many people lost their lives within minutes of hitting the water,' van Heest told Fox 17. 'They didn't have any personal artifacts, and here I was offering not only an artifact, but Herbert Ingram's personal watch,' she added. 'It was an extraordinary, serendipitous occurrence.' In a statement about van Heest's offering, the museum's arts and heritage manager, Luke Skeritt, said: 'This find is truly a once-in-a-lifetime discovery'. 'The sort of thing you read about in textbooks and not something you expect to read in an email on a mid-week working day.'
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Historic gold watch lost in deadly Lake Michigan shipwreck 165 years ago finally returns home
When the Lady Elgin sank on Lake Michigan in 1860, British journalist and politician Herbert Ingram was lost to the deep, but 165 years later his pocket watch has returned home. The steamship quickly sank on Sept. 8, 1860, when it collided with a schooner during a storm off Winnetka, Illinois, killing more than 300 people, with many unable to make it to lifeboats before it went down. Ingram and his son both died in the sinking with his gold watch going down with them. After the sinking, Ingram's body was recovered, and he was returned to England, and buried in his hometown of Boston in Lincolnshire. The pocket watch was discovered by divers in 1992, but remained in the U.S. until this May, when it was given to a historian to examine. "Back in 1992, when my team was documenting the remains of the Lady Elgin scattered over more than a mile of lake bottom, other divers were visiting the site," Valerie Van Heest, co-founder of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association who wrote "Lost on the Lady Elgin," told FOX 17. "The location had leaked, and a trio of divers I have just recently learned, came upon a pocket watch. A gold pocket watch, an extraordinary discovery." She added that Ingram was a "member of Parliament. He was also the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper. So he was really the founder of pictorial journalism." Van Heest told BBC News she quickly realized that the watch "doesn't belong in America. It belongs in Boston, England, where Herbert Ingram was from, where a statue of him still stands." Experts say the watch remained in relatively good condition while on the lake floor because of the lake's cold, low-oxygen environment, according to People magazine. Ingram is celebrated as the "favorite son" of the Lincolnshire town where he was born and buried and where a statue of him stands. Van Fleet bought the watch, then donated it to the Boston Guildhall Museum, which happened to be putting together an exhibit on Ingram at the time. "They didn't have any physical artifacts, and here I was offering not only an artifact, but Herbert Ingram's personal watch," Van Heest said. "It was an extraordinary, serendipitous occurrence." Councilor Sarah Sharpe, from Boston Borough Council told the BBC: "The fact that this small part of him is coming back to his hometown to be displayed is really special and important." The museum celebrated the watch's return on May 24, calling it a "day to remember." "Today, Boston came together to honour the life and legacy of Herbert Ingram — journalist, reformer, and one of our town's most influential figures — as his long-lost gold watch, recovered from the wreck of the Lady Elgin, was officially returned home," the museum wrote on Facebook. "From a private tribute at his grave, to the ceremonial handover at the Ingram Memorial, to the powerful stories shared at Boston Guildhall — every moment was filled with reflection, pride, and awe." The museum added, "Thank you to everyone who joined us today — in person and in spirit. Boston history is alive and ticking."
CTV News
7 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Time travelling timepiece: Watch from Lake Michigan's deadliest shipwreck returned to family after 165 years
Herbert Ingram's initials on his watch fob discovered at the wreckage site of the Lady Elgin. (Andy Curtis/WXMI via CNN Newsource) HOLLAND, Michigan (WXMI) -- Lake Michigan usually does not like to give back what it takes, but now, 165 years after sinking to the lake bottom during the Great Lakes' deadliest shipwreck, a solid gold pocket watch claimed by the lake in the region's deadliest shipwreck is making its way back home to the owner's family. On September 8, 1869, the Lady Elgin, a sidewheel steamer, collided with another ship north of Chicago, with over 300 people losing their lives as a result. Its legacy now rests at the bottom of Lake Michigan. A legacy that Holland-based historian and author of Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie Van Heest, knows very well. 'Back in 1992, when my team was documenting the remains of the Lady Elgin scattered over more than a mile of lake bottom, other divers were visiting the site,' said Van Heest. 'The location had leaked, and a trio of divers I have just recently learned, came upon a pocket watch. A gold pocket watch, an extraordinary discovery.' And this wasn't just any sunken treasure, the watch was engraved with the initials of Herbert Ingram. 'He was a member of parliament,' said Valerie. 'He was also the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper. So he was really the founder of pictorial journalism.' The divers kept this a secret for more than 30 years before cleaning up the watch and reaching out to Valerie, who, after some research, discovered not only were the descendants of Ingram still alive in England, but the museum in his hometown was putting together an exhibit about Englishmen. Watch from Lake Michigan's deadliest shipwreck Herbert Ingram's recovered full watch and chain. (Andy Curtis/WXMI via CNN Newsource) 'They didn't have any physical artifacts, and here I was offering not only an artifact, but Herbert Ingram's personal watch,' Valerie told me. 'It was an extraordinary, serendipitous occurrence.' A stroke of good luck for a story anchored by so much bad with the next stop for this time-traveling timepiece is with Valerie back to Ingram's hometown of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. 'Returning this watch is the right thing to do,' Valerie said. 'This is reminding people that shipwrecks affected people, affected families, and this shows that 165 years later, we care. People care about the individuals lost.' By Andy Curtis, WXMI, via CNN Newsource
