The General Hunter

Southampton, Ontario -- Erie Girl has a real Erie find today! Yesterday we visited the Bruce County Museum and saw a replica of the General Hunter, a British warship that was captured by the Americans during the War of 1812. After the war the ship was sold to John Dickson of PRESQUE ISLE and used to transport goods between Lakes Huron and Erie. On one of these trips southward in August of 1816, a huge gale caused the ship to founder and be abandoned. The crew took safely to small boats, but the ship itself got buried in the sandy beaches of Southampton where it remained for almost 200 years before being discovered. The discoverers were our friends the family McCallum. Apparently there is some lingering dispute among family members about just which of them, exactly, first recognized the parallel timbers sticking out of the sand behind their home to be something more than unusual driftwood. Indeed, they were part of the hull of the General Hunter. Archeologists then gathered to examine the find. They dug out most of the sand, took measurements and photographs. They also collected paraphernalia such as cannon balls, uniform buttons and the like, which are now on display at the museum. Finally, they covered it all back up in order to preserve it. At the museum one can board the replica and hear a demonstration on the firing of cannons, complete with flashing lights and sound. The boat on the distant horizon is none other than the NIAGARA, which, of course, takes a direct hit! On another interesting note, the original flag flown by the General Hunter, which was taken in naval tradition as part of the “spoils of war,” has lived in Annapolis for 200 years, but is currently on loan to the museum here.