Fishtowns oldest shanty lifted onto new foundation, saving it from high water – MLive.com

LELAND, MI - Four months after it was cut free of its old water-logged foundation and lifted away to wait out its new perch, Fishtowns oldest shanty was recently settled back into place along the Leland River. This time, its sitting a bit higher on a new foundation to keep it safe from current and future high-water eras.

The Morris Shanty was returned to its spot last week, according to the Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS), the nonprofit that owns the collection of fishing shanties, smokehouses and docks that is one of Lelands seasonal business hubs - and a big tourist draw in Northern Michigan.

Currently, FPS is in the midst of a multi-year fundraising and restoration phase aimed at many of the shanties, other buildings and infrastructure at the spot bordered by the Leland River and Lake Michigan. Recent high-water years have exacerbated the issues and endangered the historic buildings.

The Morris Shanty was the second Fishtown piece to be lifted and returned to a higher setting. Earlier this year, the popular Village Cheese Shanty was lifted from its spot by a crane, then returned a month later.

This most recent lift-and-return project was handled by Biggs Construction, Kasson Contracting and Team Elmers.

When the Morris Shanty was lifted out of the river in July, the water had been extremely high for long enough that the foundation was no longer salvageable, Fishtown Preservation Society officials said. Before lifting it by crane, crews cut the shanty away from its foundation using chainsaws. The shanty has been on dry land behind the other south side shanties awaiting the installation of new foundation piles and dock piles and then a new support structure.

Rehab work on the Morris Shanty had been on the societys to-do list long before it was inundated by high water levels beginning in 2019.

Nothing about this project has been easy, said crew foreman Drew Miller of Biggs Construction. The Morris Shanty wasnt square structurally, so aligning and installing the foundation piles was a real challenge. But Miller understood what he was dealing with, FPS officials said. As a kid, Miller worked at Carlsons Fishery - also a Fishtown staple - and has been part owner of its commercial fishing vessel, Joy. Thats Fishtown, he said of the quirks.

The Morris Shanty, shown here with its green roof and orange banner, is Fishtown's oldest shanty in the historic collection by the Leland harbor. This picture was taken before it was lifted away for its new foundation and pilings. Photo courtesy of the Fishtown Preservation Society.

A Quiet Piece of History

The Morris Shanty has been one of Fishtowns quiet workhorses. Its been a place where Fishtowns commercial fishing nets have been mended and stored for decades, and now is tied directly to the work of FPSs two fishing boats, the Joy and the Janice Sue.

If the Morris Shanty looks a bit cobbled together in its place on the less-traveled south side of the river, its because it is. Amanda Holmes, FPS executive director, said parts of the wooden shanty date to the early 1900s. Its comprised of pieces of two earlier shanties, with a shanty on the north side of the Leland River having been joined with one from the south side. In the 1920s, a new middle section was added.

Holmes said her group is waiting to see what the water levels will look like next year.

It remains to be seen if the water will go up again next summer. But no matter what, the damage to so much of Fishtown is done and we need to do everything we can to fix it.

The overall rehabilitation project costs have reached $3.5 million, which is being funded by the Campaign for Fishtown. Holmes said the group still needs to raise around $1.1 million to finish the site projects. These include work on Carlsons Fishery, the Ice House, docks on both sides of the river, and drainage and retaining wall construction.

The next piece to be lifted is the Otherside Shanty, which was transformed into a vacation rental years ago. The FPS acquired it in 2016.

Half of these projects were not on our radar before early 2019, Holmes said. The new water issues have made us focus on not just the Fishtown of next summer and five years from now, but the Fishtown of 50 years from now. All of the piling and foundation work is just one part of the difficult but hard-to-see work of saving Fishtown. The work we are doing now will ensure that Fishtown will be here forever.

Theyre hoping people will join the fundraising campaign in honor of todays Giving Tuesday - which has a match up to $10,000 - or just because they feel a special connection to this place and want to see if preserved.

For more information about Fishtown Preservation, go to fishtownmi.org, call 231-256-8878, or email aholmes@fishtownmi.org with your questions.

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Fishtowns oldest shanty lifted onto new foundation, saving it from high water - MLive.com