We will take a break from the evolution of the diesel towboat with this writing, in order to present a subject perhaps more compatible with this special Gulf Intracoastal issue… Read More
Howard Shipyard
Named for an iron industrialist at Nashville, Tenn., and owned by the Ryman Line, the handsome sternwheeler J.P. Drouillard was a product of the famous Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind. Read More
Built at Marietta, Ohio, in 1896, the first steam towboat Catharine Davis had a hull constructed of Oregon fir that was 135 feet long and 26.5 feet wide. The engines,… Read More
It isn’t widely known that James Howard, founder of the Howard Shipyard in Jeffersonville, Ind., emigrated from Lancashire, England, in 1819 at the age of 5. Accompanied by his parents,… Read More
The Eagle Packet Company of St. Louis contracted in 1913 with the Howard Shipyard to build a wood-hulled sternwheeler for $26,000. The new steamboat, 242 by 37.8 feet and named… 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 and kindly historian… Read More
Merry Christmas! As previously presented in the Old Boat Column, one of the most famous excursion boat companies was Streckfus Steamers, widely known on the river system for its fleet… Read More
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 1870, Capt. Read More
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, the wood-hulled… Read More
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
