History buffs have two events to enjoy on St. Joseph Island this weekend.
Beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, a special Heritage Day event will be held at the St. Joseph Island Museum in Richards Landing that tells the story of a 19th century shipwreck in the region.
“The grand finale is that we’ll be singing an original song that I wrote about the shipwreck,” said Aaron Fisher, St. Joseph Island Choral Society director.
The song is entitled The Wreck of the Rum Ship Hackett.
“This is something that I put together for a performance for the museum. It’s a little history vignette. I went to the library and I came across this story and I thought ‘I’ve got to write a sea shanty about this.’
"So I wrote the song and we're going to perform it as a choral group for the first time on Saturday,” Fisher told SooToday.
In November 1828, the schooner Alice Hackett, carrying British soldiers, civilians, livestock and several barrels of whisky set out from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene.
The captain, crew and many of the soldiers became intoxicated and, during a storm, the vessel struck a rock at what is now known as Horse Island near the southernmost point of Manitoulin Island.
A woman and her infant son were left on board the schooner while a drunken crew made their way to shore.
The woman and her son survived and were rescued from the vessel by a sobered crew the following day.
The schooner Alice Hackett eventually sank due to damage sustained in the storm.
According to one historical source, it was the first known shipwreck in Georgian Bay.
“Everyone made it out OK but I don't know if all the relationships between people came out intact,” Fisher said.
“I felt that something needed to be done to bring this story to other ears because it's such an unbelievable tale.
"Like with any good sea shanty, you have a lake, you have a storm and there's an element of regret. This story had them all so the song just wrote itself.”
The story of the Alice Hackett will also be told through historical reenactments of characters linked to the shipwreck during the performance at the museum on Saturday.
“There was a minister, Reverend Woolley from Richards Landing in the 1950s, who used the story of the shipwreck in one of his sermons calling for the prohibition of alcohol.
"So I'll be dressed up as Reverend Woolley to deliver one of his fire and brimstone sermons talking about the shipwreck. And then we'll end by singing The Wreck of the Rum Ship Hackett,” Fisher said.
Admission to the event at the St. Joseph Island Museum is by donation.
Another historical event for visitors to enjoy on Saturday will be Historic Places Day at Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
There will be special events at the fort, including musket firing demonstrations, historic games and canoe rides.
Admission is free.
“Fort St. Joseph is facing the port where the Alice Hackett would have left from. Our Heritage Day event and Historic Places Day are on the same day so it might be worthwhile for people to come out from the Sault and take in the two events, maybe after having breakfast at the Black Bear Care.
"People can make a good day of it,” Fisher said.