Howard Steamboat Museum

Although many of those who work on the river are considered essential workers, and shoreside businesses have begun to slowly reopen under various state guidelines, river museums are still seeing… 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 more… Read More

Among the beautiful big sidewheelers built on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Ind., was the palatial packet Katie. Built in 1871, the steamboat was not constructed by the Howard Shipyard,… Read More

Built in 1887 for a contract cost of $5,800, the packet Matt F. Allen was a product of the Howard Shipyard at Jeffersonville, Ind. Constructed on a wooden hull measuring… Read More

This week, the Old Boat Column journeys up the Missouri River to the historic river town of Hermann. This scene shows a typical day along the waterfront during the days… 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

Capt. Jim Howard, with his trusty glass plate negative camera (now exhibited at the Howard Steamboat Museum) took this week’s Old Boat Column image, as the towboat Lookout was being… Read More