The Marietta Manufacturing Company was started in 1852 by the W.F. Robinson Company at Marietta, Ohio. Initially constructing sailing vessels, the firm soon commenced building steam-propelled craft for commercial service… 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 sternline telegraph has been abuzz in recent days with the exciting news that the steamer Julia Belle Swain was recently towed to a nearby drydock and hauled out for… Read More
Built in 1888 at Haynes Landing, W.Va., the Clipper originated as a “sawmill boat,” constructed by the Haynes family of Proctor, W.Va. When first built, the wood-hulled vessel, owned by… Read More
In the St. Louis area, Calhoun County, Ill., is a narrow peninsula that was organized in 1825. Strategically situated beween the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, today the region can be… Read More
One hundred and seven years ago today, the steel hull of the steamer Idlewild plunged into the Allegheny River at the James Rees yard on October 18, 1914. It is… Read More
The passing on July 14 of Capt. Bill Streckfus at age 88 brings to mind that he took special interest in maintaining the 32-note Nichol calliope that was perched high… Read More
This week’s main image is one of my favorite Southern steamboat pictures. The Charles H. Organ was built in 1897, at Dubuque, Iowa, for the West Memphis Ferry Company. A… Read More
The recent destruction on the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ida brings to mind a “ferry tale” of 56 years ago. In 1892, the Howard Shipyard & Dock Company at Jeffersonville,… Read More
Built by the Axton yard at Brownsville, Pa., in 1895, the sturdy sternwheel towboat Tornado was constructed, to specifications drawn by J.M. Hammitt, on a wooden hull that measured 150… Read More
Slightly over nine decades ago, on July 24, 1928, the old river tradition of steamboat racing was revived at Cincinnati, Ohio. Tens of thousands of cheering spectators lined the banks… Read More
