Wawona (schooner)

The Wawona was a large wooden schooner built in Fairhaven, California in 1897. She was primarily used in the lumber trade, transporting redwood from the Pacific Northwest to ports along the West Coast of the United States and beyond. Specifically, she carried lumber from Grays Harbor, Washington, and other Northwest ports, to markets as far south as Mexico and as far east as Australia.

Known for her robust construction, the Wawona was one of the last surviving examples of the large, multi-masted schooners that dominated the coastal trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was originally four-masted, but was later re-rigged as a three-masted schooner.

After her active sailing career ended, the Wawona became a museum ship at Pier 9 in Seattle, Washington. Efforts to preserve her proved challenging, and she suffered from significant deterioration. Despite fundraising efforts and volunteer labor, the cost of maintaining the aging wooden vessel became prohibitive.

Deconstruction of the Wawona began in 2009 at Pier 66 in Seattle. While the ship itself was dismantled, portions of the vessel were salvaged for historical purposes and potential reuse in other maritime heritage projects. Some of her timbers were incorporated into other vessels and structures, keeping the memory of this historic schooner alive. The deconstruction marked the end of an era and served as a reminder of the challenges in preserving large wooden sailing ships.