Bringing a true Christmas legend to life

The annual travels of the Rouse Simmons schooner, better known as the Christmas Tree Ship came to life in vivid detail, during a special presentation from local author Rochelle Pennington last week at Sheboygan Falls Elementary School.

Pennington, who has authored two books on the famous Christmas Tree Ship, talked to kindergarten through fourth-grade students about the annual journeys of Algoma native Herman Schuenemann, a Christmas tree merchant who captained the ship, from the late 1880s through 1912.

With the help of his family and crew, Schuenemann guided “The Christmas Tree Ship,” from Northern Michigan to his Chicago home each holiday season.

Schuenemann’s annual sailing trek on Lake Michigan earned him the nickname, Captain Santa.

Pennington explained Schuenemann’s dedication to bringing Christmas trees to families in need each year.

“Captain Schuenemann knew how important it was for kids to have a Christmas tree,” she said. “Every year kids would wait anxiously to see the Christmas Tree Ship and Captain Santa.

“To them it meant Christmas was near, and they would soon have a Christmas tree to help celebrate the holiday. Many of the kids’ families did not have enough money to afford a Christmas. When Captain Santa gave them the trees, it really meant a lot to them.”

Pennington said the ship took on a magical quality for kids who awaited its arrival each year.

“Many kids thought the ship came from The North Pole, but it actually came from northern Michigan, because that’s where there were a lot of evergreen trees that are used as Christmas trees,” she said.

Pennington described how Schuenemann’s family shared his passion for delivering Christmas trees.

“All of the members of ‘Captain Santa’s’ family helped out each year,” she said. “His wife, Barbara, and three daughters, Elsie, Pearl, and Hazel, helped to chop, load and the haul trees, while also making wreaths.

After transporting the Christmas trees for nearly 25 years, tragedy struck when “The Christmas Tree Ship sank in Lake Michigan, during a heavy winter storm on Nov. 23, 1912.

“Sadly, everyone on the ship was lost, including ‘Captain Santa,’ Pennington said. “It was a very sad day for everyone that knew about Captain Santa and the Christmas Tree Ship.’”

Following his death, Schuenemann’s family was unwilling to let the tradition die.

“The family kept the Christmas Tree Ship going for the next several years, with ‘Captain Santa’s wife and daughters continuing the tradition,” Pennington said.

The remains of the Rouse Simmons currently rest at the bottom of Lake Michigan, just north of Two Rivers.

Many artifacts from the ship have been rescued from the wreckage.

“The ship was found in 1971 in about 200 feet of water,” Pennington said. “There were some people that wanted to bring it up onto land, but it would have cost $1 million to do that, so that never happened.”

The ship’s anchor was located near Milwaukee in 1973. It can now be viewed at the Milwaukee Yacht Club.

The wheel, which was discovered in a fisherman’s net many years in 1999, is currently on display at the Roger Street Fishing Village Museum in Two Rivers.

Following her presentation, Pennington allowed students to touch an axe that was used to cut the trees and a tree that was rescued from the sunken ship.

While fielding questions from students, Pennington said it took three years to write the books.

“I did a lot of research,” Pennington said. “I wrote to all the museums in the Great Lakes area, looked at newspaper articles, family letters and maps to learn as much as I could about the Christmas Tree Ship and Captain Santa.

“I also interviewed some of Captain Santa’s relatives, who gave me even more background about the Schuenemann family,” she said.

Pennington’s books on the ship and its journeys are titled “The Christmas Tree Ship” and “The Historic Christmas Tree Ship.”

“The Christmas Tree Ship” is a 32-page all-ages coffee-table book, detailing the legend of the ship in short-story form.

“The Historic Christmas Tree Ship” offers a 325-page documentary account of the story, which explores the legend of the ship and its journeys from every angle.

She has also authored “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” which provides memories of past Christmas seasons, from 1930 to 1960. The book features many photos of Wisconsin taken from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center in Sheboygan Falls.

Through the years, the endearing legend of the Christmas Tree Ship has been portrayed through countless paintings, poems, stories and songs.

“For several years, I have instructed small groups of students through our enrichment program, the Action Room on the maritime legend of the Rouse Simmons,” said Laura Fiorini, Sheboygan Falls School District enrichment resource specialist. “I am thrilled that this year we were able to bring Rochelle Pennington here to talk to our students.”