Merchant marine John Langenbach used whatever extra parts he could find to make his masterpiece liners – this model features the eyelets from sailors' shoes.
Dave Ohrt sold the SS J Lagenbach back to John and his family after it was featured on the TV show "American Pickers."
Merchant marine John Langenbach used whatever extra parts he could find to make his masterpiece liners – this model features the eyelets from sailors' shoes.
Dave Ohrt sold the SS J Lagenbach back to John and his family after it was featured on the TV show "American Pickers."
Family lore shapes us, inspires us, and sometimes strengthens our wills to change our stars. Sometimes it’s lost to the sands of time and it takes dedication to unearth it once again. Sometimes, after years of searching and only remembering, it takes some good, old fashioned luck for a family relic to reveal itself and be returned. That’s the case for John Langenbach and his family.
John Langenbach and his wife, Nancy, are the coordinators of the White Pine Logging and Threshing Show, an annual event held over Labor Day weekend in Finlayson. Langenbach’s uncle, for whom John is named, will be honored in a special way this year.
Uncle John Lagenbach was a merchant marine, who served during World War II. While sailing miles and miles, he would cobble together impressive model ships with whatever he could find and then ship them back home, according to the Lagenbach family. In 1949, John passed away while undergoing surgery for a brain tumor at the young age of 46. Because he did not marry or have any children of his own, his brother, William, named his next-born son after his brother.
That son, John, recalled how he and his siblings would look at the model liners in the attic of their Geise home. “At some point, the ships disappeared,” Langenbach said – likely sold to various antique dealers in the 60s.
The liners were of a certain fame. The Duluth Herald published a story in July 1940 of Langenbach’s efforts. “Up and down the Great Lakes wherever sailors meet, the ‘boys’ are talking about John Langenbach’s latest model miniature vessel,” the article begins.
After they were sold, though, probably seven in total based on the Duluth article, the family lost track of them. But any time they went through an antique store, they were searching for any of the liners that could have been their uncle’s.
As kismet would have it, one of the model liners was featured on an episode of “American Pickers” in March 2020. John recalled he and his wife were in Florida when their kids called them and described what they saw. John watched the episode. “All of the sudden, it’s the ship.”
The Pickers were in Crosby, sifting through a family collection in an old auto dealership. The siblings leading Mike Wolfe and Tom Ohrt around suggested they might like to see something their father packed away in a special, massive box. It’s in the box that the Pickers unearth the SS J Langenbach, all six-feet of it.
John said he didn’t know that the model ship had been named that, but all the pieces fit: It was one of his uncle’s masterpieces.
He immediately started trying to contact the American Pickers, as well as their stores, Antique Archaeology. No response.
John left his contact information with multiple Antique Archaeology stores, emailed, called, left messages over Facebook – all amounting to silence for 13 months.
But it’s more about who you know, right? Kismet intervened once more, and John chanced to talk with Robbie, Mike Wolfe’s brother, at a Mecum’s auction in Iowa. Robbie put John in contact with Dave Ohrt, who ultimately had purchased the liner from Mike. John “showed him it was a family thing,” and the next day, Dave sold the liner back to the Langenbach family.
Now, the impressive masterpiece is in a glass display case, complete with its known history and accompanying pictures. Those at the White Pine Logging and Threshing Show will have a chance to see the liner and note its incredible details, one of which is the eyelets from sailors’ shoes as the portholes.
As far as John and his family know, there are six remaining model liners out there, just waiting to find the safe harbor of family once more. “We will continue to look for them,” John said.
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September is Suicide Prevention Month Recognition of the vital role mental health plays in overall health has been on the rise in recent years. Mental health disorders like depression affect hundreds of millions of people across the globe. A 2021 report from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation indicated that approximately 280 million people in the world have depression, making it the most common mental health disorder. (Metro)
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