Steamship William G Mather Maritime Museum

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This enormous Lake Erie legend provides the first and last word on Cleveland's emergence as a 20th-century industrial powerhouse.. The Scene
From the ore loaders that stand silent sentry over the Cuyahoga River to the steel plants that served the world, Cleveland has a proud history in the steel industry. For more than 60 years, this steamship plied Lake Erie, supplying coal and ore to Cleveland's steelyards. The 618-foot ship is now a floating museum docked at North Coast Harbor.

The Experience
Christened in 1925, the grand lady of the Lakes was a behemoth craft combining cavernous cargo holds capable of holding 13,300 tons of iron ore with elegant oak-paneled guest dining rooms and cozy state rooms. The 75-year-old Mather has been painstakingly restored over the years; the vast scale is impressive, from the parade ground-sized deck to the house-sized anchor. Touring the ship give insight into how the crew worked, slept and ate--a fascinating look into a bygone way of life.