PS Keystone State

44°54′6″N 82°44′22″W / 44.90167°N 82.73944°W / 44.90167; -82.73944

Empire State, a paddle steamer of a similar age and size to Keystone State
History
United States
NameKeystone State
NamesakeA nickname for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Owner
  • Charles M. Reed (1849–1861)
  • G. Ritter/Frank Handel (1861–1861)
Port of registryPresque Isle, Pennsylvania
BuilderBidwell & Banta of Buffalo, New York
LaunchedNovember 11, 1848
In serviceMay 1849
Out of serviceNovember 9 or 10, 1861
FateSank in a storm on Lake Huron
Wreck discovered July 2013
General characteristics
Class and typePaddle steamer
Tonnage1,354 GRT
Length288 feet (87.8 m)
Beam
  • 35 feet (10.7 m)
  • 63 feet (19.2 m) (with overhanging guards)
Depth14 feet (4.3 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × paddle wheels almost 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter
Capacity
  • 800 passengers
  • 6,000 barrels of freight

PS Keystone State (also spelled Key Stone State) was a wooden-hulled American paddle steamer in service between 1849 and 1861. She was built in 1848 in Buffalo, New York, by Bidwell & Banta for ship-owner Charles M. Reed of Erie, Pennsylvania, and operated as part of his "Chicago Line". A luxuriously furnished palace steamer, she operated between Buffalo and Chicago, Illinois, while also making stops at various other ports. She was built for the passenger and package freight trade, frequently carrying both wealthy passengers and European immigrants who desired to settle in the Midwestern United States. Due to the Panic of 1857, Keystone State and several other paddle steamers were laid up. When the American Civil War began in 1861; she was refurbished, and put back into service.

On November 8, 1861, Keystone State left Detroit for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under the command of Captain Wilkes Travers. Although her cargo manifest listed her cargo as farm machinery, it was rumored that this was a cover for military supplies and gold. She was last seen off Port Austin, Michigan, struggling in a storm, and eventually sank with the loss of all 33 people on board. Keystone State's fate was unknown for over a week, until pieces of wreckage washed ashore.

The location of Keystone State's wreck remained a mystery for 151 years, until it was found in July 2013 by shipwreck hunter David Trotter. The wreck rests in nearly 175 feet (53.3 m) of water northeast of Harrisville, Michigan, about 40 to 50 miles (64.4 to 80.5 km) from where Keystone State was last seen afloat.