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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 Ida Handy Was Short-Lived The only known image of the steamer Ida Handy. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Ida Handy Was Short-Lived

September 25, 2020

For 1864, the daybook records for the Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind., list only contracts for the construction of a wharfboat for the Louisville & Cincinnati Mail Line and… Read More

The Gigantic James Howard The James Howard at a St. Louis wharfboat in the 1870s. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Gigantic James Howard

September 20, 2020

A recent acquisition to the writer’s collection is this week’s Old Boat Column image of the packet James Howard alongside a wharfboat at the St. Louis levee. In… Read More

The Sidewheeler Sunshine The Sunshine in a lock with excursionists aboard. Note the ornate pilothouse. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Sidewheeler Sunshine

September 13, 2020

One of this writer’s favorite steamboats built by the Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind., was the Sunshine. Launched on May 3, 1888, for a contract price of $21,750,… Read More

The Excursion Steamer America Burned 90 Years Ago Excursionists board the Str. America at Madison, Ind., on August 1, 1927. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Excursion Steamer America Burned 90 Years Ago

September 8, 2020

In 1900, the Howard Shipyards built a beautiful and large sidewheeler named Indiana. Constructed on a wood hull measuring 285 feet in length by 45 feet in width, the… Read More

The Str. Erastus Wells A vintage postcard view of the St. Louis harbor steamboat Erastus Wells. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Str. Erastus Wells

September 1, 2020

With Election Day approaching and campaigns heating up, the Old Boat Column this week features a steamboat named for a famous politician. Erastus Wells was born in 1823… Read More

The Sternwheeler America The cotton packet America underway. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Sternwheeler America

August 24, 2020

One of the best known and most revered steamboats of all time was the cotton packet America, owned and operated by Capt. LeVerrier (“L.V.”) Cooley. A trim steamboat… Read More

The Snagboat Charles H. West The Charles H. West on the Lower Mississippi River. (Keith Norrington collection)

The Snagboat Charles H. West

August 15, 2020

In last week’s Old Boat Column image of the St. Louis riverfront in 1970, one of the vessels prominently in view was the restaurant boat Lt. Robert E. Lee. Read More

A Half Century Ago On The St. Louis Riverfront A panoramic scene of the St. Louis harbor in August 1970. (Keith Norrington collection)

A Half Century Ago On The St. Louis Riverfront

August 10, 2020

This week, the Old Boat Column steps back five decades to August 1970. Prominently in the foreground of this aerial view of St. Louis is the sternwheel dredge… Read More

The Steamer Natchez No. 8

The Steamer Natchez No. 8

July 31, 2020

If you reside in New Orleans or have occasion to visit the fabled Crescent City, allow yourself ample time to follow the call of the calliope and take a leisurely… Read More

America’s Iconic Steamboat Captain Turns 85 Doc Hawley at the calliope of the Str. Avalon, 1957. (Keith Norrington collection)

America’s Iconic Steamboat Captain Turns 85

July 27, 2020

In 1952, a young man named Clarke Campbell Hawley joined the crew of the excursion steamboat Avalon as calliope player and popcorn popper, embarking on an adventure that spanned… Read More

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