The 131-year-old Victorian-aged lake freighter Barge 225 set sail Friday morning, leaving North Coast Harbor and heading to its new home - Wildwood Park in the Euclid Creek Reservation.
The move comes after the Metroparks purchased the barge for $1.3 million in July in hopes of boosting local tourism by turning it into a floating visitor's center.
The boat has seen its share of transition. It was originally built to carry freight packages around the Great Lakes and did that well into the 20th century.
It was most recently used as office space after being home to Hornblowers restaurant.
The barge has been a longtime neighbor to the USS Cod Submarine Memorial, which makes the move bittersweet for Paul Farace, the president of the memorial.
"Our blessings to them for, you know, many years educating the public and inspiring the children. I know Euclid Creek Reservation is a, is a fun place, and it's going to be more exciting now with this there as a visitor center when they get it all converted," he said.
The plans to replace the barge are unclear, but Farace hopes the North Coast Harbor will welcome another restaurant.
As a final goodbye, the USS Cod fired a farewell salute for Barge 225 Friday morning.
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