There are more Old Towns than any other wood/canvas canoe, and also there is a great deal of knowledge regarding the company (no major mysteries I'm aware of, as there are with the other old canoe companies). So, keeping a database of the canoes that are known to exist hasn't seemed like it would produce any information, as it has with Morris... and may with other canoe companies.
The back of the Old Town record-cards will sometimes contain updates on repair of the canoe or contact from a new owner. This is nice, as it documents the canoe's history. But I don't think any of us who look up build records is keeping track of anything but the most unusual canoes, or the ones that interest us personally. For instance, in my own research I keep track of the old (1920s) Molitor models whenever I run across them in the records... whether or not the canoe still exists.
If I see an Old Town hanging in a restaurant, I'll jot down the serial number and look it up, just for my own interest. If I go to the restaurant again, I give them the information... a canoe deserves its history-- and looking up build records is good publicity for the WCHA.
140005 is a 16' AA grade HW with sponsons and rub rails, painted design #45 and shipped to Machias, NY on 22 August 1944.
Pretty dry up here, and the lakes are down... you can send some of that rain this way!
Kathy
