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
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 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
The first Tall Stacks event was held at Cincinnati in 1988. The idea grew out of a bicentennial commission to plan how to celebrate two centuries since the… Read More
The last column detailed the early years of the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr., built in 1918 on the bank of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh by James Rees… Read More
This past week marked 70 years since the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr. arrived at Marietta, Ohio, under its own power, blowing the whistle and billowing coal smoke… Read More
The Ohio River Company grew from very humble beginnings to become one of the most iconic river towing companies of the 20th century. The late Capt. Bill Judd has detailed… Read More
This is another column that was prompted by recent photos. These shots were of a towboat, resplendent in a coat of fresh summer paint, with closeups showing the vessel looking… Read More
This column is about a towboat that has long been a personal favorite of mine. It was not the largest, and it certainly was not the most attractive or… Read More
The sad news was dispensed through social media recently that one of the most iconic towing vessels built for the inland rivers in the middle of the 20th century was… Read More
The past two Old Boat Columns looked at one of the two boats that led the towboat parade for the Greenup Lock dedication in 1962: the 3,200 hp. Valvoline of… Read More
