Elmer S. Dailey 🇺🇸

If you are exploring the historic maritime legacy of Connecticut, you will find a truly unique submerged story in Bridgeport Harbor on the west side of the Pequonnock River. Here lies the Elmer S. Dailey, built in 1915 as the Claire B. Follette in Tonawanda, New York, and later rebuilt on Staten Island in 1928.

Measuring 105.2 feet long with a 17.9-foot beam, this historic vessel served as a working freight barge transporting materials across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. What makes this site historically profound is its incredible rarity: the Elmer S. Dailey is the only known surviving Erie Canal boat and one of just a few remaining wooden-hulled canal boats in existence. In the spring of 1974, it sank alongside two other barges, the Priscilla Dailey and Berkshire No.

7. You should know before visiting that no part of the barge is visible above water today, as it rests completely submerged and heavily deteriorated on the harbor floor. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it stands as one of Connecticut's rare submerged historic treasures, offering history enthusiasts a fascinating look into early twentieth-century American canal transportation and regional commercial shipping history.

What to see at Elmer S. Dailey

• The only known surviving Erie Canal boat in existence
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 21, 1978
• Measures 105.2 feet long with a 17.9-foot beam
• Sank in spring 1974 on the west side of the Pequonnock River
• One of Connecticut's only shipwrecks listed on the National Register

Visiting tips

Keep in mind when visiting Bridgeport Harbor that no part of the Elmer S. Dailey is visible above water.

How long: 30-60 minutes · Best time: Daylight hours

How to get there & what’s nearby

Elmer S. Dailey is easy to reach on Bridgeport’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo and Barnum Museum. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Bridgeport travel guide.