Six decades ago this week, on May 18, 1958, the Howard National Steamboat Museum at Jeffersonville, Ind., was officially opened. It was the dream of Capt. James Howard (1876–1956) that… 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.
Named for Granderson Winfrey Hill, of Alexandria, Mo., this handsome sternwheeler was constructed in 1909 by the Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind.; the contract cost was $28,850. Built on a… Read More
Built at cost of $65,000 by the Pittsburgh firm of James Rees & Sons, the Chickasaw underwent its initial inspection on October 29, 1883. The wooden hull measured 185 feet… Read More
Built at Stillwater, Minn., for Capt. John Kent in 1897, the sternwheeler Gracie Kent was constructed by George Muller on a wooden hull measuring 111 feet in length by 20… Read More
This week, the Old Boat Column presents two images of Upper Ohio River packet boats that are part of a photo collection generously given to this writer by the late… Read More
Originally a rafter, the Silver Crescent was built at Clinton, Iowa, in 1882. Constructed on a wooden hull that measured 123.3 feet in length by 22.9 feet in width, the… Read More
The sternwheeler Argosy was built in 1864. A notification of the new boat appeared in a Pittsburgh newspaper on November 30: “This is the third boat of the name, the… Read More
Nearly six decades ago today, on March 26, 1959, the 318-foot long steamer Sprague embarked on a journey from Vicksburg, Miss. The retired riverboat became a tourist attraction in 1948,… Read More
In last week’s Old Boat Column, we recounted the 1903 shoving contest between the sternwheeler D.T. Lane (first) and the propeller towboat James Rumsey. The D.T. Lane (1871–1908) towed coal… Read More
In 1903, the Charles Ward Engineering Company of Charleston, W.Va., constructed a twin-propeller steam towboat named James Rumsey for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wheeling, W.Va. Built on… Read More
