{"nrhp_refnum":"79001829","name":"FRANCIS, JOSEPH, IRON SURF BOAT","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"480 Main St","address_restricted":false,"city":"Vermilion","county":"Erie County","state":"OH","lat":41.42480061800006,"lon":-82.36700382999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 26-foot lifesaving surf boat of corrugated sheet iron and wood, built in 1854 by Joseph Francis of New York and now stored at the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio.","why_significant":"Built at the request of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury for use on Lake Erie, it may be the oldest metal surfboat surviving in the United States, according to two museum officials cited in the form. It is a rare survivor among early Lake Erie lifeboats, many of which were lost to neglect and vandalism. It also reflects the work of Joseph Francis, inventor of the metallic, self-righting lifesaving craft.","narrative":"This lifesaving surf boat, made of corrugated sheet iron and wood, measures 26 feet long with a beam of 6 feet 8 inches. Joseph Francis of New York built it in 1854 after the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury ordered a boat for Lake Erie, to be shipped to Kelley's Island, Ohio. A 1854 federal appropriation funded boats at twenty-five points on the Great Lakes, though no government lifesaving service operated there until 1876. Francis, shipbuilder and inventor of the metallic, unsinkable, self-righting lifesaving craft, first used corrugation in 1845 to give the thin iron strength. Many of the early Lake Erie boats were lost, making this one a rare survivor, and museum officials say it may be the oldest metal surfboat in the country. It later served at the Point Marblehead station. Today the hull is deteriorated, with missing wooden parts and a hole amidships. The Great Lakes Historical Society plans restoration and educational exhibition.","period_of_significance":"1854","architect_builder":"Joseph Francis","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Stored at the Great Lakes Historical Society awaiting restoration; wooden portions are missing or badly deteriorated, and there is a hole in one side.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:11.975599-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79001829.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988166","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/erie-county/francis-joseph-iron-surf-boat-79001829/"}