The building of model ships is a tradition practiced for over 4000 years. However, the art of making ships in a bottle began much more recently. The first ships-in-a-bottle appeared around 1850, and have remained a popular pastime for sailors and hobbyists ever since. The top two bottles are both representations of the Nova Scotia schooner the “Bluenose.” They were both made by Parker M. Leney. On the bottom left is a ship called the “Lizbeth” which was crafted by a German Merchant Seaman who was a prisoner of war at the Erie Peat Plant during the Second World War. On the bottom right is a bottle containing a warship and a black submarine which was made by a group of German Prisoners who were also interred at the Erie Peat Plant in Wainfleet during the Second World War. The bottle was made for Ivan Staag, who delivered bread for Wrights Bakery to the camp.