Crafted from the Metropolis shipwreck is true and authentic as it gets! Its legs are adorned with real anchor chain from the vessel.

On Nov, 25 1886 the vessel Metropolis struck the shoals at Currituck, halfway between two lifesaving stations. At 6:45 a.m., the ship hit the shoals. Alarms were sounded and heroic efforts mounted but to no avail. Of the 245 passengers aboard, 85 died in the wreck.

The wreck of the Metropolis—combined with that of the USS Huron two months earlier— captured the attention of Congress and prompted it to authorize the construction of new life-saving stations.

This lead to the Protection of underwater cultural resources that preserves them as an element of Michigans history and for the enjoyment of future generations. Michigan legislature to passed a law that preserves and protects these resources.

Law that was passed in 1994:

Part 761, Aboriginal Records and Antiquities, PA 451 as amended, is administered jointly by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Department of State was passed. This law authorizes preserving abandoned property (shipwrecks, etc.) on the bottomlands of the Great Lakes, designating underwater preserves, issuing fines and penalties for illegally removing, altering, or destroying artifacts.

After doing research this piece is legal to own, due to the fact it was crafted a 100 years before the law was written. It has been grandfathered in and it’s perfectly legal to own this stunning piece of history.

This part on the Metropolis was built from the anchor chains and part of the plank the thickest and heaviest part of the vessel. It was salvaged and built in early 1890s.

Placard reads:

Ships Plank

From the Schooner

Metropolis

Sunk Nov, 25 1886

Near Old Mission, Michigan

Super rare and awesome piece!