The three-masted schooner Thomas Hume was built in 1870 as the H. C. Albrecht by Joseph Hanson in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The vessel was named for her first owner, Captain Harry C. Albrecht who sailed the boat in the early 1870s. The Albrecht was 132 feet in length with a 26 foot beam. In 1876 she was sold to Captain Welch of Chicago, who sold her to Thomas Hume and Charles Hackley in Muskegon, Michigan a year later.

Under Hackley & Hume ownership her deck was replaced and her framing was strengthened. In 1883 the vessel was renamed for Thomas Hume -- one of the company's partners. A year later, more major repairs were done.

The schooner Thomas Hume, which was operating in the busy lumber industry hauling lumber from Muskegon to Chicago, went missing with six men aboard during a squall on Lake Michigan on May 21, 1891.  

Elizabeth Sherman, great-granddaughter of the schooner's namesake Thomas Hume is the author of "Beyond the Windswept Dunes: The Story of Maritime Muskegon." In it, she explained the final voyage of the Hume:

The empty vessel left Chicago to return to Muskegon, riding high in the water in consort with one of the company's other schooners, the Rouse Simmons, which years later would go on to legendary status as the Christmas Tree Ship.

The two vessels encountered a squall which made the captain of the Rouse Simmons nervous enough to turn back to Chicago. The Thomas Hume continued on, disappearing and becoming the subject of rumor and conjecture.

Two days later the Rouse Simmons sailed from Chicago for Muskegon, expecting to see the Thomas Hume tied up along her dock on Muskegon Lake. That was the first time anyone realized the Thomas Hume had disappeared.

Hackley and Hume requested a search of other ports and Lake Michigan, but nothing was found, not even debris. Captain Harry Albrightson and his crew of 5 men were gone.

Among many of the wild theories concocted about the wreck was that her captain sailed to another port, re-painted the Thomas Hume and the sailed away. Another theory was that a much larger steamer ran down the schooner and the steamer's captain swore his crew to secrecy.

In a 2006 Chicago CBS affiliate newscast, Taras Lysenko of A&T Recovery , a marine contractor, indicated he believes he found the wreck several miles off Chicago in very deep water. The above historical photo was found by MSRA's Valerie van Heest when asked to assist by the discovery team.

The image is from the collection of Patrick Labadie. It shows features which match those on the  wreck, but the discovery team remains uncertain about the identity.   The location of the vessel believed to be the Hume is known only to those of the A&T Recovery dive team at this time.

Today, the wreck remains in good shape. Underwater photos and video by diver Jeff Strunka shows an intact vessel, with three downed masts.

The following newscast was reported by Vince Geresole of CBS affiliate WBBM, channel 2 in Chicago.