Monday, September 30, 2013

Scrap of Wood from the 1904-1905 Building of the Roosevelt, the Vessel Commissioned by Arctic Explorer Robert Peary


Scrap of wood, a bit less than 3" x 3", left over from the building of the Roosevelt, the arctic-worthy vessel that was commissioned by Robert E. Peary for his expeditions in search of the North Pole.  

Text wood burned into the scrap:

Souvenir
of Peary's Arctic Ship
built 1904-05 at
Verona
opp. Bucksport, Me.

From online research:

McKay & Dix Shipyard began construction began on the Roosevelt on 15 October 1904; she was launched on 23 March 1905.  The vessel participated in several expeditions, including the one in which, on 6 April 1909, Peary claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole.

After the Roosevelt passed out of Peary's hands, she was used for a time by wealthy Brooklyn, New York, merchant John Arbuckle as a tug for use in salvaging wrecked vessels.  Eventually, the she passed into the ownership of the Bureau of Fisheries and was refitted for duty in Alaska.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a biography of the Roosevelt online, with photographs during and after construction and a recounting of some of the her more harrowing adventures.

Robert Peary retired to Eagle Island in Casco Bay, near Portland, Maine.  His home was given to the State of Maine in 1955 and is now operated by the Friends of Peary's Eagle Island.  Their site also has information on the Roosevelt.

If you have additional information to share, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Verona Island, Maine


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Eagle Island in Harpswell, Maine


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Thanks for stopping by!

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