H.G. “Chilli” Simpson of Charleston, Mo., a former Mizzou football player, began opening gas stations in southeast Missouri under the name Simpson Oil Company during the late 1920s and 1930s. Read More
Old Boat Column
A look back into the rich history of the inland waterways transportation industry. From the earliest steam paddlewheelers to the grand sternwheel and sidewheel packets, and the eventual transition from steam to diesel, you’ll find fascinating stories and photos of a different steamboat every week.
The Vacuum Oil Company was founded in Rochester, N.Y., in 1866. Standard Oil purchased the company in 1879. By 1904, it began using “Mobiloil” as a brand name for… Read More
There is much in the news these days regarding presidential or executive orders. Five score and 18 years ago (118 years), an incident occurred during a steamboat parade down the… Read More
The Nashville Bridge Company, Nashville, Tenn., has long been renowned as a builder of stylish vessels that provided their owners with many years of service. Nashville Bridge, known as simply… Read More
As often mentioned in this column, the Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W.Va., was an early proponent of both tunnel stern prop-driven towboats as well as boats powered by diesel… Read More
In 1903, Pittsburgh Steel established a repair facility and machine shop on the left bank of the Monongahela River near Brownsville, Pa. In 1918, this property was purchased by… Read More
Ashland Oil & Refining Company (AO&R) was founded in 1924 as a subsidiary of the Swiss Oil Company called Ashland Refining. Paul G. Blazer was placed in charge of… Read More
This column has previously detailed vessels built by Petersen & Haecker Ltd., Blair, Neb., a shipyard that was established in the late 1930s on the right bank of the… Read More
Nine excursion vessels attended the America’s River Roots festival in Cincinnati October 8–12. Two of those were steamboats: the iconic, 111-year-old Belle of Louisville, a bona fide national historic landmark,… Read More
The recent columns regarding the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr. becoming a museum exhibit in Marietta, Ohio, in 1955 touched on the fact that steam vessels were… Read More
