Old Boat Column

In 1938, the Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC), the government-owned barge line known among river interests as the Federal Barge Line, contracted with the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Company for… Read More

In 1921, the Eichleay Contracting Company, Hays, Pa., built a sternwheel steam towboat for the U.S. Engineer Department. This was the first towboat built by Eichleay, and it… Read More

The subject of this column was prompted after Jeff Wilkes, riverman, realtor and historian from Savannah, Tenn., recently sent this writer a photo of a sunken boat that he… Read More

There were two sternwheel packets named Granite State. According to Way’s Packet Directory, the first was built at California, Pa., in 1870 for Capt. Wash Kerr, who used it… Read More

This first column for 2023 may be more appropriate for the Easter season since it involves a resurrection. The boat that will be described is 65 years old this… Read More

In the last column we looked at the Bessie E. Merrill, owned by Capt. Charles C. Stone of Point Pleasant, W.Va. It was mentioned that Capt. Stone dismantled… Read More

Capt. Steve Pearson recently shared with this writer a photo of the Str. Bessie E. Merrill that was in a frame along with a poem written by Mrs. Charles… Read More

Continuing in the vein of last week’s column, we will look at another steamboat that was an early member of the Hines fleet. The sternwheel steamer Betty Turner was… Read More

In 1928, a diminutive sternwheel steam packet was built at Paducah, Ky. The boat had a wood hull that was only 64.9 by 21 feet and had a 4-foot… Read More

The river community was saddened recently to learn of the passing of Capt. Clarke C. “Doc” Hawley at age 87. Capt. Clarke ‘Doc’ Hawley at the Avalon… Read More