PS Keystone State

44°54′6″N 82°44′22″W / 44.90167°N 82.73944°W / 44.90167; -82.73944

Empire State, a paddle steamer of a similar age and size to Keystone State
History
United States
Name	Keystone State
Namesake	A nickname for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Owner	Charles M. Reed (1849–1861) G. Ritter/Frank Handel (1861–1861)
Port of registry	Presque Isle, Pennsylvania
Builder	Bidwell & Banta of Buffalo, New York
Launched	November 11, 1848
In service	May 1849
Out of service	November 9 or 10, 1861
Fate	Sank in a storm on Lake Huron
Wreck discovered	July 2013
General characteristics
Class and type	Paddle steamer
Tonnage	1,354 GRT
Length	288 feet (87.8 m)
Beam	35 feet (10.7 m) 63 feet (19.2 m) (with overhanging guards)
Depth	14 feet (4.3 m)
Installed power	Engine: 1 × 500 hp (370 kW) walking beam engine Boilers: 2 × firebox boilers
Propulsion	2 × paddle wheels almost 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter
Capacity	800 passengers 6,000 barrels of freight

PS Keystone State (also spelled Key Stone State) was a wooden-hulled American paddle steamer in service between 1849 and 1861. She was built in 1848 in Buffalo, New York, by Bidwell & Banta for ship-owner Charles M. Reed of Erie, Pennsylvania, and operated as part of his "Chicago Line". A luxuriously furnished palace steamer, she operated between Buffalo and Chicago, Illinois, while also making stops at various other ports. She was built for the passenger and package freight trade, frequently carrying both wealthy passengers and European immigrants who desired to settle in the Midwestern United States. Due to the Panic of 1857, Keystone State and several other paddle steamers were laid up. When the American Civil War began in 1861; she was refurbished, and put back into service.

On November 8, 1861, Keystone State left Detroit for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under the command of Captain Wilkes Travers. Although her cargo manifest listed her cargo as farm machinery, it was rumored that this was a cover for military supplies and gold. She was last seen off Port Austin, Michigan, struggling in a storm, and eventually sank with the loss of all 33 people on board. Keystone State's fate was unknown for over a week, until pieces of wreckage washed ashore.

The location of Keystone State's wreck remained a mystery for 151 years, until it was found in July 2013 by shipwreck hunter David Trotter. The wreck rests in nearly 175 feet (53.3 m) of water northeast of Harrisville, Michigan, about 40 to 50 miles (64.4 to 80.5 km) from where Keystone State was last seen afloat.