A committee formed in 2007 to begin planning the Peters-Stevens Boat Annex. Bernier, Carr & Associates, Watertown, helped design a 40 - by 60-foot barn behind the society's museum at 12581 County Route 72 that will house two dozen boats built in HendersonThe group has set a goal of $ 75,000 for the annex, but Chairman John H. Treadwell said construction could begin as soon as it hits the $ 40,000 mark.

"We've got some quotes for the project already, and we expect that $ 40,000 will get us a building, poured-cement floor and a boat lift for the building. The $ 75,000 would allow us to get all the bells and whistles for the annex , things that will make it visually appealing, some landscaping. There are 11 vessels donated to the annex, including a 1900s 15-foot Tyler guide boat, a 27-foot Stevens guide boat, a 15-foot Hovey rowboat and an 1880 Stevens ice boat.

"Right now, they are all in people's garages and barns," said Mr. Treadwell, who is storing a 1939 Kent Irwin 22-foot Henderson guide boat in his barn. "Some of them can still be used, but others, we're planning to dissect them so people can see how they were actually constructed. Ann M. Maurer, another member of the committee, said she is passionate about preserving the history of a livelihood that once provided an opportunity for employment and recreation in the harbor.

"I spent a lot of my childhood on those guide boats. They were very seaworthy, but it was a very wet ride," she said.
Because of Henderson's location, the harbor - surrounded by forests filled with oak, pine and cedar trees - became a shipbuilding center during the early 1800s. The different wood provided essential building material for boats sturdy enough to withstand the storms of Lake Ontario, Mr. Treadwell said. Before guide boats, there were schooners and other large sailing vessels. When sport fishing became popular at the lake, guide boats were more commonly built.