The sternwheeler Joe Fowler was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Howard Shipyard in 1888 for the Fowler family. Built at a contract cost of $20,800, it was… Read More
sternwheeler
Every boat has a beginning and an ending. This week’s Old Boat Column presents a vignette of a vessel whose history both began and ended at Pittsburgh. The… Read More
The sternwheel towboats Lady Lois and Laura J, owned by Amherst Madison, are both in their ninth decade of river duty. Pictured here on the Kanawha River in front… Read More
The cabin of the Chris Greene decorated for Christmas. (Keith Norrington collection) River historian and WJ correspondent Virginia Bennett (1924–2013) loved to reminisce about her favorite steamboat, the… Read More
The nation’s last authentic overnight steamboat may once again cruise the rivers of America’s heartland and deep south. On November 27, the U.S. House of Representatives reinstated an… Read More
An attractive steamboat that was important to travel and commerce on the Ohio River in the early 1900s was the Oriole. The history of this vessel dates back… 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. 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… Read More
Originally named Annie M, this sternwheel towboat was built in 1888 at Gadsden, Ala., by A.J. Sweeney & Son. Constructed on a wooden hull that measured 122 feet… Read More
Valley Gem Inc., which operates the sternwheel vessels Valley Gem and Major, has introduced a brand new trip it calls “Lockapalooza.” The cruise takes passengers through two radically… Read More
