Lulu W. Epps at Ellesworth Maine

On a cold, still winter morning, a group of sailors and dockworkers load the "Lulu W. Eppes" with wooden pilings and haul her out into the Union River at Ellsworth, Maine. Seen here during the early years of the 20th century, "Lulu W. Eppes" had already been working for over 60 years. Build in 1838 at Kingston, Massachusetts, the schooner was originally named "Red Rover" and may have sailed from Cuba to the Gulf Coast as part of the slave trade. Late sold and rebuilt in 1895 by Dan Eppes of Ellsworth, Maine, "Red Rover" was renamed "Lulu W. Eppes" in honor of Dan Eppes' wife. Several Maine owners followed before the "Lulu W. Eppes" was sold south to carry Virginia lumber in the Chesapeake. In the late 1920s, the "Lulu W. Eppes" was finally abandoned after a career of more than 80 years.