The Christmas Tree Ship
For many years, "The Christmas Tree Ship," loaded with trees, docked at the southwest corner of the Clark Street Bridge. From the ship, Captain Herman Schuenemann, known as "Captain Santa," with his wife, Barbara, and daughters Elsie, Hazel, and Pearl, sold trees to the public and gave them away to those in need.
On November 23, 1912, Schuenemann's ship, the Rouse Simmons, went down in a storm on Lake Michigan near Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Captain Schuenemann and the entire crew perished. Barbara Schuenemann and her daughters continued the Christmas tree business into the 1930s, bringing joy to many people through their generosity of spirit.
This plaque is dedicated to the Schuenemann Family by St. Paul's United Church of Christ on November 23, 2012.