The National Great Lakes Museum, which includes the freighter, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, is scheduled to open next spring in Toledo.

TOLEDO, Ohio - The National Great Lakes Museum will open on the Maumee River in Toledo next spring, the culmination of a 10-year push to create a place where people can learn about the local and national importance of the five interconnected bodies of water.

The museum was supposed to open this summer but was delayed by several factors, including the complexity of the exhibits, said Chris Gillcrist, executive director of the Great Lakes Historical Society.

But he said visitors will be thrilled by the society’s $12-million project, which includes the museum, a park and a restored freighter, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker.

“There will be no other museum like this,” Gillcrist said. “The focus is national in that it tells stories how the Great Lakes has dramatically impacted the history of the country.”

The impact ranges from the Battle of Lake Erie, in which the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the British Royal Navy, to Prohibition, when more alcohol was transported across the lakes than in any other place in the United States, he said.

The 2.5-acre park opened this month and the society will add artifacts including ships' wheels and propellers, he said.

The freighter’s restoration is nearly complete but it is open only for special events until the museum is completed, he said.

The historical society had operated the Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermilion since 1953 but it only accommodated about one-tenth of its artifacts, officials said.

The society also publishes a quarterly journal, conducts underwater archeology, offers educational programs and maintains a maritime research library.

After considering moving to Lorain, society officials announced in 2010 that it had reached an agreement with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to open a museum in the Toledo Maritime Center, which was built in 2008 as a passenger ferry terminal.

The biggest obstacle was moving the S.S. Willis B. Boyer, now re-christened to its original name as the Schoonmaker, he said. The ship is owned by the city of Toledo and had been docked near the Anthony Wayne Bridge.

The river had to be dredged of thousands of cubic yards of muck to create a slip that is 16-feet deep, 650 feet long and 80 feet wide. Sheet piling also had to be installed.

The society was able to use a $4.9 million Ohio Cultural Facilities grant that had been awarded to Toledo for improvements to Toledo’s marina district for the project, he said.

The ship was moved in October, 2012.

Museum exhibits will include areas on exploration and settlement, expansion and industry, safeguard and support, and shipwrecks and safety. The building can still be used for ferry service if it is established.

The costs for the project include $2.8 million to dredge and install the sheet piling, $1.2 million to build the park, $1.2 million to restore the freighter and $3 million for building renovations and exhibits, Gillcrist said. The value of the building is about $3.5 million.

The society has sold its Vermilion property to that city for $1.65 million and the deal should be finalized by the end of this year, he said. The society expects to raise the money to cover the cost of the museum by the time it opens.

The museum, below the Interstate 280 bridge and near Interstate 75 and the Ohio Turnpike, will primarily draw those who live within 200 miles, he said. Tickets will average about $10 per adult, with discounts for seniors and children.

For more information visit inlandseas.org.