A recent acquisition is this excellent image of a steamboat that played a prominent role in the maintenance of the St. Louis waterfront for many years. Built… 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 snagboat E.A. Woodruff was typical of the unique vessels operated by the U.S. government, known as “Uncle Sam’s Toothpullers,” which helped to keep channels cleared of debris. Read More
An attractive sternwheeler built by the Ayer & Lord Marine Ways at Paducah, Ky., in 1918, the H.G. Hill was 165 feet in length by 30 feet in width. Read More
In the early days of my river interest during the 1960s, it was my good fortune to become friends with Capt. Harris Underwood (1898-1982) who served as pilot of… Read More
Well-known on the Ohio River was a pretty packet boat that was popular in the annals of steamboating. The Tell City was constructed in 1889 by the Howard Shipyard… Read More
Happy New Year! Along with the onset of winter, we begin the first Old Boat Column of 2022 with a look back at Alton Slough, a narrow inlet on… Read More
As most of the world celebrates the glory of Christmas and the coming of the new year this week, the Old Boat Column focuses upon several steamboat names with… Read More
The Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind., built a trim sternwheeler in 1910 named Nashville to run in the Evansville–Nashville–Paducah trade for W.W. Parminter of Nashville, Tenn. The wood-hulled riverboat… Read More
Harry Houdini sitting atop a cotton bale at the foot of Canal Street in New Orleans. The steamboat J.S. is at the wharf. (Keith Norrington collection) Harry Houdini… Read More
Another stellar product of the Howard Shipyard was the beautiful and large sidewheeler Indiana. Constructed on a wood hull measuring 285 feet in length by 45 feet in width,… Read More
