by Douglas Ivester member of the Blue Ridge chapter
Alleghenia is a 1924 Ditchburn. She is a 24.5′ Long Deck Launch. From all my research, it is rare to find a 24′ Ditchburn.
Alleghenia was built in 1924 in Gravenhurst, Ontario for Dr. William Mann of Winnipeg,
Manitoba & Minaki, Ontario. It is hull # 24-16 (i.e. this was the 16th boat that Herb
Ditchburn built in 1924.) The boat was shipped by railway car in the Spring of 1924 and
spent its’ entire life on Minaki Island in Northwest Ontario until about 1987. Originally, it had an F-4 Scripps, Marine Motor.
Alleghenia was removed from the Minaki Island in the Fall of 1987 and was fully restored by Peter Breen of Rockwood, Ontario in the 1989-1990 time frame.
Alleghenia was purchased in Canada in June – 2006 and moved to DeerTrace Lodge on
Lake Toxaway in North Carolina. It needed a little work, but is a beautiful boat.
Before being delivered, it went back to Peter Breen who originally restored it in 1989-90 for a touch up. She was delivered to Lake Toxaway in 2007 and fits perfectly on Lake Toxaway and in the Boat House at DeerTrace Lodge.
This is a great boat and a even greater survival story of such a rare Ditchburn!
Thanks Leagh