Montague's 48-foot weathervane tells a shipwreck story
The City of Montague calls its 48-foot weathervane the world's largest, but the schooner model and recovered nameplate give it the better story.
At Ellenwood Park in downtown Montague, a 48-foot weathervane rises above the lawn. The City of Montague calls it the world’s largest. That is the city’s designation, not an independent record we could confirm, so it is better read as a local claim than a settled world ranking.
The measurements are less arguable. The city lists a 48-foot overall height, a 26-foot-2-inch arrow, and a 14-foot-3-inch schooner model. The arrow and schooner rotate on large ball-bearing assemblies. Whitehall Metal Studios, now Whitehall Products, built the structure and donated it to the community in 1984.
The model represents the Ella Ellenwood, a 157-ton lumber schooner built in Saginaw in 1869. Captain Thomas Flagstad of Montague operated it from White Lake. On October 1, 1901, while carrying maple edgings and shingles toward Milwaukee, the schooner grounded off Fox Point. The captain and crew reached shore safely, but the vessel broke apart.
The following spring, part of the wooden ELLENWOOD nameplate was found inside the White Lake Channel. The city tells the find as the schooner finding its way home. The board’s exact drift is not documented, but the recovered piece is real: it and a scale model are displayed in the downstairs lobby of Montague City Hall.
That is what makes the stop work. The size gets your attention; the nameplate connects the sculpture to Montague’s lumber-shipping past.
Where to see it
Ellenwood Park in downtown Montague. The schooner's recovered nameplate is in the downstairs lobby of Montague City Hall; check City Hall hours before you go.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 14, 2026.