Old Boat Column

This towboat was originally built as the William G. Clyde. Constructed at Ambridge, Pa., in 1922 by the American Bridge Company, the vessel was completed at the Coal Valley (Pa.)… Read More

This week, the Old Boat Column presents an unusual image. The packets Bald Eagle (left) and Saint Louis are engaged in the transfer of freight at a St. Louis railroad… Read More

Built by the Barmore yard at Jeffersonville, Ind., the sternwheeler Saint John began operating in 1878. The wooden hull measured 176.6 feet in length by 36.2 feet in width, with… Read More

The Sadie Downman, which was typical of the small towboats that ran on southern rivers, was built in 1899. Records show that the steamboat was first inspected at Morgan City,… Read More

Noted for being one of few riverboats to have an octagonal pilothouse, the Phil Sheridan was built for a cost of $80,000 in 1865 at Cincinnati, Ohio. Constructed on a… Read More

The sidewheeler Silver Moon was unique for several reasons. The boat was built specifically to fit into the short locks of the Louisville & Portland Canal. Constructed in 1859 at… Read More

Built in 1896 at Madison, Ind., the wooden hull of the towboat Gleaner measured 185 feet in length by 35 feet in width. Five boilers supplied steam to engines (24-inch… Read More

It has often been said that no steamboat that ran in the Fort Benton trade had a more varied or interesting career than the Josephine. The wooden hull—measuring 183 feet… Read More

The sidewheeler Charles Morgan was reputedly one of the most popular packets ever to ply the Cincinnati–New Orleans trade. Built in 1874 by the Cincinnati Marine Railway & Dock Company,… Read More

This week, we visit Vicksburg, Miss., with two vintage views, taken in 1906. One can almost vicariously experience the sights, smells and sounds of the bustling waterfront. At the left… Read More