September 2024 Gazette - Count Rehberg’s 1891 Yacht: An Active Canadian Dive Boat

Dan Welsh from Tobermory, Ontario and I crossed paths, sharing a common interest in Count William Rehberg. Rehberg is associated with my historical research on the Middle Bass Club (MBC) while Welsh purchased Rehberg’s yacht in 2012. Before we introduce the “likely” oldest operating vessel afloat on the Great Lakes, we must mention Rehberg, the man who purchased the LeRoy Brooks steamer in 1891 and describe his incredible significance to the islands past and present.

William (originally Wilhelm) Rehberg was born in Mecklenburg, Germany in 1825 and married Louisa Stevens in 1848. According to the Dayton Herald, William, Louisa and their young son John fled Germany in 1849 because Rehberg’s employer at a machine shop misplaced his required military service book. The young family borrowed a horse and wagon from Rehberg’s uncle and traveled 20 hours nonstop north to Hamburg. A few days later, they secured passage aboard a British cargo vessel headed for Quebec, Canada. It was reported that during the 10-week and 5-day voyage, Louisa gave birth to a daughter named Mary (who would later marry Middle Bass’s John Runkle). The Rehberg descendants thought Mary was born in Germany so the article may not be accurate. Upon arrival in Quebec, the family headed to a farm outside Niagara Falls to recover from their difficult journey and build up their bank account; Rehberg was employed as a laborer and his wife as a cook. A short time later, they met a visitor who enabled them to travel to Wyandot County, Ohio where Rehberg established a gunsmith and repair shop. After a few years, the family moved to Sandusky where Rehberg became an active fisherman at Cedar Point on Sandusky Bay.

Then, in 1856 Rehberg came to Middle Bass Island where he leased a landing for a fishery and purchased farming rights to 150 acres (along with John Lutes) from the Spanish American Merchant Jose de Rivera St. Jurgo. Not only was Rehberg one of the first permanent Middle Bass residents, but he was also one of the first to own his house because Rehberg’s first hauling of the coveted black bass fish (largemouth bass) netted him over $2,000, enabling him to pay off his debt to de Rivera. Census records show Rehberg lived on Sugar Point on Middle Bass owning just over 51 acres. Named after its sugar maple trees, Sugar Point comprised the entire western portion of the island.

Rehberg is considered Middle Bass Island’s “pioneer grape grower” as he planted the first grape vines on the island and made the island’s first wine around 1856. At one time, Rehberg produced an incredible 10,000 to 20,000 gallons annually. Fishing and wine made Rehberg a very wealthy man so in 1859, he bought the rest of Middle Bass Island, approximately 600 acres, from de Rivera along with Andrew Wherle, Joseph Mueller and George Caldwell for $12,000.

Wineries were lucrative businesses, thousands of visitors came to the islands via steamers from Toledo, Cleveland and Detroit. After seeing the success of Werhle’s Pleasure Hall above the Golden Eagle Winery, Rehberg decided to build a public hall of his own. Hence, Rehberg Hall was built over his wine cellar in 1869 and expanded in 1874. Rehberg even built beautiful, championship clay tennis courts which hosted important matches in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Rehberg Hall was torn down sometime in the 1950s. A portion of the wine cellar remains today with a cottage placed upon it, owned by Jamie and Kris Hovsepian.

In 1874, Rehberg became acquainted with members of the Toledo and Lake Erie Boating and Fishing Association (later known as the Middle Bass Club) whose members represented the movers and shakers of the time – esteemed capitalists (most of whom were millionaires) and high-ranking politicians (Governors, Senators and Judges). Rehberg sold land to the MBC where they built a grandiose clubhouse, cottages and a chapel. MBC members spent their evenings in Rehberg Hall: drinking wine, enjoying musical performances and lectures, dancing, bowling and playing cards.

Rehberg is MBC’s only “Honorary Member.” Based upon available membership lists, Rehberg was given this honor between 1881 and 1889. In fact, Rehberg was held in such high esteem that MBC member, Ohio Governor Charles Foster officially designated Rehberg as “Count” just before his departure for Germany in 1882. Newspapers reported that Rehberg told Foster the only thing he lacked to make the journey back to his homeland a more enjoyable one was having a title. Thus, Governor Foster had his secretary write up Rehberg’s commission to Count and the document was stamped with the great seal of Ohio. Rehberg had “heaps of fun” with this document.

A portrait of Count Rehberg hung in the prestigious Middle Bass Club House until it was torn down in the early 1950s. This exquisite oil painting exists and resides on Middle Bass. Mary Ann McCann, Count Rehberg’s great-great granddaughter, explained that luckily, she held onto Count Rehberg’s portrait for her brother Charles (Sonny) Schneider and his wife Carolynn (Carrie) Lunt, stashing it in the attic of PIB’s Country House. Tragically, the Schneider’s home on Middle Bass burned in 1997. After the fire, the island ladies threw a shower for Carrie on PIB where she mentioned to Mary Ann that the only thing missing from their new home was the portrait of Count Rehberg. Immediately, the portrait was retrieved from the Country House and returned to Middle Bass. Unfortunately, there was a scratch on Count Rehberg’s nose; the painting was restored by the Toledo Museum of Art. Coincidentally, a number of MBC members founded the Toledo Museum of Art. Incredibly, Rehberg’s eyes follow you when you walk past him because a portrait is a flat 2-dimensional representation, the directional cues are fixed so it must always gaze at those looking at it. The portrait, signed by P K Clover, is dated 1887. Philip K Clover was a portrait artist from Columbus, Ohio who is best known for his painting of President McKinley shaking hands with a working man who carried a “dinner pail.” Based upon the portrait’s date and Rehberg’s timing of becoming an Honorary Member, perhaps the MBC commissioned Rehberg’s portrait?

Rehberg was a member of the Order of Druids, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and other advanced branches of masonry and was honored with the 32nd degree. According to newspapers, Rehberg enjoyed entertaining fellow masons at Rehberg Hall. The Schneider family is fortunate to have Rehberg’s masonic ring. The ring is in pristine condition; a large, yellow gold ring adorned with colorful masonic images around its sides.

Rehberg was very involved with Middle Bass’s governance, serving as the first trustee of Middle Bass, chairing the meetings to establish the Middle Bass Town Hall, being a member of the school board, establishing with Wherle the Middle Bass Telephone Company and acting as Postmaster of the special office of Rehberg at the Middle Bass Club House.

Count Rehberg died in 1899 at the age of 74 and is buried in the only mausoleum in the Middle Bass cemetery. The mausoleum is a beautiful stone building that features Rehberg’s initials above the entrance door along with stunning stained-glass windows. Rehberg built the mausoleum in 1887 at a hefty cost of $3,000; the nearby Middle Bass Town Hall was built in 1877 for only $1,875.

Count Rehberg’s relatives still reside on the islands. As mentioned previously, Rehberg’s great-great grandchildren are Mary Ann McCann of Put-in-Bay and the late Charles (Sonny) Schneider of Middle Bass. Rehberg’s great x3 grandchildren include: Mary B. McCann, B. Michael McCann, Melinda McCann Myers, Chuck Schneider, Bob Schneider and John Schneider. The Count’s great x4 grandchildren are: Anna McCann, Patrick McCann, Elizabeth McCann, Amanda McCann, Alexandria Blumensaadt, Zoltan Urge, Erin Urge, Lena Pepé, Juliet Pepé, Maximilian Schneider, Lucille Schneider, Devan Schneider, Jaiden Schneider, Collin Schneider and Charlie Schneider. Theodora Sponseller and Otto Blumensaadt and a few more on the way make up Rehberg’s great x5 grandchildren.

Count Rehberg’s influence over Middle Bass traverses from land to sea. According to the Alpena County, Michigan Public Library, Rehberg purchased a steamer yacht in 1891 from the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Hull # 47, US #141143. The yacht named Leroy Brooks’ hull dimensions were: Length 75 feet, Beam 14.6 feet, Depth 7.6 feet, 41 Gross Tonnage and 25 Net Tonnage. The LeRoy Brooks’ power description was: Propulsion – Screw, Engine Type – For-and-aft Compound, 2 Cylinders, 1 Boiler, 1 Propeller, Propulsion Notes – 10.5 & 30” x 22” engine Kerr Bros., Wallaceburg, ONT 1888. A technical drawing of the yacht is housed on the Detroit Historical Society’s website showing a port side interior profile view and a main deck view.

No one knows why Rehberg named his yacht LeRoy Brooks. Rehberg knew a MBC member named LeRoy Brooks who was a “capitalist” originating from Wyoming, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati). According to Club House Guest Register books, Brooks spent a great deal of time at the MBC. So, in 1893 Brooks purchased Lot 27 on Grape Avenue from Rehberg to build himself a cottage. Unfortunately, the Brooks cottage no longer exists. However, the Pelee Island Club has an incredible 1899 photograph taken on the cottage’s front porch. The photograph depicts these distinguished men: former Attorney General Judson Harmon, USS Iowa’s Captain Robley D Evans, LeRoy Brooks, New York City broker George W Shaw, former President Grover Cleveland, Cincinnati’s Peebles’ Choice Liquor and Groceries owner Joseph S Peebles, Pharmacist John Uri Lloyd, former United States Secretary of the Treasury & Ohio Governor Charles Foster, Civil War veteran & MBC Club House manager Colonel A L Rutherford and Brooks’s brother-in-law Edward E Dwight.

The LeRoy Brooks was used as Rehberg’s personal yacht. She transported islanders and MBC members to and from the mainland and was used for fishing excursions. One fishing trip, however, caused an international incident. On May 8, 1894, the LeRoy Brooks with a Cincinnati fishing party and the PIB steamer Visitor with a Dayton fishing party were seized by the Canadian government for infringements of fishery laws. The Canadian Collector on Pelee, Dr. McCormick, called in the revenue cutter Petrel to capture both American steamers, even arming his crew with Winchester guns. Thankfully, no one was injured during the seizure and the fishermen were freed, traveling back to PIB aboard the American Eagle. However, Count Rehberg, Captain Jacob Hass and their crews were retained as prisoners and taken to Fort Maiden in Amherstburg, Ontario. According to the American Eagle’s Captain Magle, Americans had rights to fish in Canadian waters until May 10th. Furthermore, Magle thought Dr. McCormick was upset because the fishing parties did not overnight with him on Pelee Island like they had done for the past 9 or 10 years, instead they stayed at the Beebe House on PIB. Due to the social status and political connections of the men in the fishing parties, their capture was major news at the time. It turns out that the Petrel, built in Owen Sound by order of the British Navy, had a gun mounted on its foredeck which violated an agreement between the British Empire and the United States (the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 on naval disarmament). Thus, the steamers were returned to the United States on June 12, 1894, and relations between the United States and Canada were restored.

After Count Rehberg’s death, the LeRoy Brooks rested at Rehberg’s dock on Middle Bass and then was towed to Sandusky where it lay idle at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad dock. Rehberg’s son Herman took ownership of the yacht in 1905 and in 1910 sold it to McQueen Marine Ltd. The LeRoy Brooks left the United States for Amherstburg, Ontario, registered as C 116320, where she was rebuilt as a tugboat. In 1925, McQueen sold her to the Dominion Sugar Company of Chatham, Ontario. The LeRoy Brooks was dismantled, rebuilt, and renamed Henry Stokes after the company’s chief agriculturist and was used to haul sugar beet barges. On August 5, 1933, while dredging Chenal Ecarte (Syne River) near Wallaceburg, the Henry Stokes sunk; Reid Towing & Salvage from Sarnia conducted the salvage. From 1935 to 1978, McQueen Marine Ltd once again owned the vessel. The Henry Stokes sunk for the second time to the bottom of the Sydenham River at Wallaceburg when she broke away from the drydock after a retrofit on May 15, 1936. She spent two and a half weeks on the bed of the river before being raised by Emile Renault of Windsor collaborating with diver Tom Smith. On a Monday in 1954, McQueen directed his men to “man the cutting torches (i.e., destroy the steel boat).” While waiting for the rain to stop so they could demolish her, McQueen changed his mind and decided to save the vessel; she was rebuilt and renamed Aburg. In 1960, she was converted to diesel, widened by three feet and her tonnage was increased to 57 gross ton. In 1978 she was sold to William E Smith for use as a pleasure craft. In 1980 she was sold to Subservices Ltd when she sank for the third time. Newspapers reported the Aburg sank under “mysterious circumstances” when the taps used to drain water in the tug froze during a heavy snowstorm in Penetang Bay. Welsh commented, “The vessel was raised with considerable ingenuity by Rod Anderson of Tobermory and I find it very fitting that Rod can be seen at the helm of the vessel today, underway some 44 years after he raised her.” The following year, she was sold to Carol Baker, renamed Dawn Light, and used as a dive boat in the Georgian Bay. In 1984 berthing was added for passengers and she was repowered in 1988. The Dawn Light was sold in 1997 to Ray Davis and then purchased by Robert Daniel Welsh in 2012 where she operates out of Tobermory, Ontario.

While Welsh was needle gunning off layers of paint from the riveted hull of the LeRoy Brooks, he found the word “Craig.” It is incredible, “Craig” was placed on the hull of Count Rehberg’s yacht by a workman at Craig Shipbuilding in Toledo 133 years ago, hidden until now. Welsh’s focus is to restore the vessel back to commercial service. As for now, Welsh takes people out on free tours, and they donate to a local cause. He commented, “It has been a journey, but I have liked every second of it! The LeRoy Brooks, Henry Stokes, Aburg, Dawn Light is a magnet, everyone loves the boat and its history.” In fact, Dawn Light was featured this year at Tugfest Weekend in Midland, Ontario on August 16-17 where she’s the “oldest working tug on the lakes built in 1891” and the star of the show.

This fall, Welsh will complete his historical journey by visiting Rehberg’s beloved island and meet his family. Fingers crossed; the LeRoy Brooks will return to the Lake Erie islands in 2025.

A special thank you to Mary Ann McCann and Carrie Schneider for sharing your family history and heirlooms, Lucille Schneider for the photography of Rehberg’s ring and the portrait, and Mike Gora and Susie Cooper for historical details.