The Christmas Tree Ship

An informative, fascinating and heartwarming holiday program!
(This program can be tailored to an age-appropriate audience for school visits.)

     All aboard the Christmas Tree Ship!

     Author Rochelle Pennington has written two books detailing one of the most well-known shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan's Christmas Tree Ship, which delivered holiday evergreens to the citizens of Chicago each Christmas season before it was caught in the "Great Storm of 1912" and subsequently went to the bottom of the lake fully loaded with trees. The captain’s wife, Barbara, along with their three daughters, then carried on for over twenty years afterward in honor of “Captain Santa” and in the spirit of everything he believed in. The ship is still loaded with its cargo today and is a popular Great Lakes dive site. 

     "It is a story which exemplifies the best of humanity," said Pennington.  "At its heart we find courage, love, generosity, heroism, and the importance of family.  The moment I first heard the story of the Christmas Tree Ship, I understood why it had endeared itself to so many people over the years and was still being shared a century later."

     "The ship's final voyage was not to the bottom of the lake," added Pennington, "but into the pages of history."
     The true account of Captain Schuenemann and his schooner is considered the “most loved story of the Great Lakes” over the past century. The story has inspired paintings, poems, six different Christmas Tree Ship songs, television programs, a musical performed all over the country titled “The Christmas Schooner,” and a “new” Christmas Tree Ship sailed by the Great Lakes Coast Guard each holiday season as a living memorial.
     Pennington's initial book on the ship, The Christmas Tree Ship: The Story of Captain Santa, is an "all-age" summary of the story and includes vintage photographs complemented by the nautical artwork of famed painter Charles Vickery.   Pennington's follow-up documentary book, The Historic Christmas Tree Ship: A True Story of Faith, Hope and Love, is a 325-page expansion of the story and examines the legendary ship from every angle. The book includes more than 60 photographs, along with hundreds of citations from century-old newspaper clippings spanning a period of 140 years.

     The author is available for speaking engagements at schools, libraries, museums, historical societies, and for civic organizations. Her power-point presentation includes many of the century-old photographs of Captain "Santa" Schuenemann, his family, and his ship.  In addition, she brings several artifacts along with her to share with the audience including an axe used to chop trees down, dishes, a medicine bottle, a spittoon, a clay pipe, an ornament carved from one of the first Christmas trees raised from the ship in 1971 when the vessel was discovered, and an actual Christmas tree from the cargo.  Underwater photos of the ship with its trees still visible in the cargo area are included with the program as well.

     Pennington's verbal presentation focuses on many of the little-known facts surrounding the story including the ship's mysterious disappearance, clues washed ashore in the decades following the vessel's demise, ghost ship sightings of the phantom schooner, and mysterious omens believed to have cursed the ship immediately before it set sail on its final voyage on November 22, 1912.

November 2011

Patrons of the Thomas St. Angelo Public Library spilled into every available inch of space as they listened to Pennington’s gripping account of the Christmas Tree Ship.

Pennington was a presenter at three of the annual Chicago Maritime Society conferences.

     “The Historic Christmas Tree Ship is the most comprehensive book to ever come out on the Rouse Simmons and is loaded with photography. It is a great book for the season, and is a wonderful piece on the famous ship. (Rochelle first wrote a children’s book on the subject, and with that book’s overwhelming success, she decided to write a more historic book about one of the Great Lakes’ greatest legends.)”

Sturgeon Bay Advocate, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
December 18, 2004

     “Rochelle Pennington’s short story, The Christmas Tree Ship, is a wonderful introduction to this enchanting part of Chicago lore, and her new follow-up book, The Historic Christmas Tree Ship, is a treasure trove of details about the legend. It is the definitive history of the Christmas Tree Ship.”

The Clipper Ship Gallery
La Grange, Illinois


     “We invited author Rochelle Pennington to our town hall on October 23, 2004, for a book signing/program. Rochelle is an accomplished speaker and kept the audience’s attention as she took us back in time when Thompson was a thriving lumber village. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all!”

Thompson Township newsletter, Thompson, Michigan
December 2004

     “Rochelle Pennington has engaged in a labor of love in recent years. She has a heart of gold and a simultaneous flair for literary genius. She wrote what has become a nationally recognized 325-page documentary about the amazing Christmas Tree Ship. It’s a story for the ages. It’s danger, it’s excitement, it’s romance, and it’s love. Pennington has not only kept the spirit alive with her book, but she now has important disciples. The Weather Channel produced a masterpiece holiday documentary inspired by Rochelle’s work. Rochelle will also be appearing on television Channels 4 and 6 the week after Christmas.”

Alan Eisenberg, host of “The Alan Eisenberg Show”

     “Pennington’s book, The Historic Christmas Tree Ship, is a heftier paperback intended for mature readers who are interested in the history of the ship, the exact records, in-depth discussions of the storm, the lifesaving efforts and much more. Pennington spent hours in libraries and historical societies, pursuing decades-old documents and newspaper articles. She conducted many personal interviews, tapping into the memories of people who knew the Captain Schuenemann of the Christmas Tree Ship or were descended from those who did.”

Resorter Reporter
November 23, 2004

     “Pennington has become a noted authority on the colorful, tragic, yet heartwarming story of the Schuenemann family.”

Shipwreck Society News, Paradise, Michigan
Summer 2005

     “Inspirational writer Rochelle Pennington will appear on the ‘Leap of Faith’ television show, Fox-11. Rochelle is so gifted as a writer, but the greatest thing about her is she’s probably one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.”

Steve Rose, host of the “Leap of Faith” television show

     “On her first trip to Arizona, Rochelle Pennington hopes to bring her love of the historical Christmas Tree Ship to West Valley residents. Theater Works’ CEO, Jack Lytle, is thrilled that the author is willing to share her expertise on the ship with his patrons. ‘It’s a wonderful, wonderful story,’ Lytle said. ‘It’s the kind of story that is passed down from generation to generation. I’m excited to get her out here and have her share some of that with the rest of the community.”

Northwest Valley News, Peoria, Arizona
December 2, 2005

     “We had a full house for the Christmas Tree Ship program!  Rochelle Pennington, author of two books on the ill-fated Christmas Tree Ship, brought us this most loved legend of the Great Lakes on November 2, 2005. This lovely story of sailing, and giving away Christmas trees in Chicago, held the audience, age 10 to 98, spellbound. After her enchanting program, attendees kept Rochelle busy autographing copies of her books for over an hour.”

Wind Point Lighthouse newsletter, Racine, Wisconsin, Winter 2005