Steamship William G. Mather Celebrates 100 Years with Interactive Exhibit at Great Lakes Science Center

CLEVELAND, OH — The Steamship William G. Mather, a retired Great Lakes freighter turned museum, marked its 100th birthday on Friday, May 23, with a slate of commemorative events and the debut of a new exhibition at the Great Lakes Science Center. The ship, which launched in 1925 and was retired in 1980, now serves as a floating historical centerpiece on Cleveland’s lakefront.

To honor the centennial, the museum unveiled “Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes,” a hands-on exhibit designed to engage visitors of all ages with the maritime technologies that defined the Great Lakes shipping industry. “We’re excited about the Mather’s centennial birthday, so we created ‘Steam & Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes,’” said William Katzman, vice president of exhibits at the Great Lakes Science Center. “This exhibition looks at how the STEM innovations in transportation have propelled the Great Lakes region.”

Visitors can explore interactive displays including a simulation of stoking a manual coal-fed boiler versus using an automated system, operating a scale model of the Cleveland-invented Hulett ore unloaders, and decoding steam whistle signals once used for maritime communication. The exhibit also includes a miniature train ride that circles descriptions of other notable freighters such as the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Western Reserve.

Saturday's festivities included birthday cupcakes and a giant card for attendees to sign in tribute to the 618-foot vessel. “Think about the technology of getting around on the Great Lakes,” Katzman said. “You started with just compasses and then you ended up with magnetically-protected compasses. Then radar was implemented in the Mather. These are wonderful innovations for avoiding ship collisions.”

Currently docked behind the Great Lakes Science Center, the Mather will be open for public tours on weekends until June 3, when it transitions to a six-day schedule, closed only on Mondays. “Think about the amount of time it was on the water... 100 years old and still floating,” Katzman said. “I hope that I can float when I'm 100 years old.”

The exhibit will remain open through Monday, Sept. 1. According to Katzman, the goal is to ignite curiosity in science and engineering among visitors. “Kids, adults, we want to activate that inner scientist or engineer because the kids today will be the innovators of tomorrow,” he said.

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