WH Pugh Coal Crane

Installed at the W.H. Pugh Coal Company’s Michigan Boulevard yard in 1926, this enormous crane unloaded coal from Great Lakes freighters docked in Racine’s harbor. Its clamshell bucket transferred the cargo into towering piles that helped heat local homes and fuel the city’s industries.
The Pugh company traced its Racine roots to 1847, beginning as a wood-and-coal business and later expanding into oil and road salt. For decades, its crane dominated the waterfront—a rugged landmark from the working-harbor era of Racine’s history.