Belle of Louisville

The Old Boat Column in The Waterways Journal has been a fixture in the magazine for many years. I’m not sure exactly when it started, but  it was… 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… Read More

The 107-year-old Belle of Louisville is back steaming down the Ohio River, but the boat’s operators say that without $4.1 million in additional funding over the next five years,… Read More

The river community is saddened by the recent passing of Shirley Ruck Burwinkle, 91, who served as calliopist on the Str. Belle of Louisville (1966–1970) and was organist for… Read More

The river community was greatly saddened recently to learn of the untimely passing of Charles “Chuck” Parrish on December 21, 2020. He was 78. Long the exemplary… Read More

For the first time in 61 years, the excursion steamboat Belle of Louisville traveled up the Ohio River as far as Gallipolis, Ohio, for its every-five-year Coast Guard inspection… Read More

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

When the steel hull of the steamer Idlewild slid into the Allegheny River at the James Rees yard on October 18, 1914, it is doubtful that anyone present had the… Read More

The Belle of Louisville is looking for donations and gift certificate purchases to stay afloat financially. The 1914 paddlewheel-driven, steam-powered vessel is the last operating riverboat of its… Read More