Category Archives: Belmont County Ohio
POINT PLEASANT RIVER MUSEUM FIRE Point Pleasant, West Virginia by John Bowman
The Point Pleasant River Museum was heavily damaged by fire July 1, 2018. Several (eight) of my boat models were displayed at the museum. For the Loomis family, in 2019, I am presently rebuilding two Loomis boat models, the Capt. Jack Loomis towboat model and the Roy L. towboat model. If you would like to […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOATS SERVING WHEELING 1811 – 1920 By John Bowman
A 100-year listing of approximately 500 steamboats that served Wheeling businesses. The year shown is the first year they served the port and some would serve Wheeling for many years. From the Civil War years to 1900, eighteen steamboats docked daily at Wheeling. Steamboats porting at Wheeling were charged a wharfage fee of $3.00 per […]
Read MoreWHEELING’S FIRST OHIO RIVER FERRY BOATS and LAST 1789 – 1926 by John Bowman
Many of us cross the Ohio River daily, giving hardly a thought if any, to the crossing or to the bridge we used. However, to cross the river two-hundred years ago was something one had to plan and ferryboats were the means one used. Crossing the river on a ferry was costly, and it took […]
Read MoreBOOKS by WHEELING AUTHOR John Bowman
John Bowman Author, Historian, West Virginia History Hero and Steamboat Model Builder. John’s writings concentrate on Wheeling’s boat history. Wheeling began building boats, Barges, Bateaux, Flatboats, Keelboats, and Pirogues in 1774, the first Ohio River city to build boats, and the third settlement on the ‘Western Rivers’ to have a boat building industry. ‘Western Rivers’ […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOATS BUILT IN WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA 1815 – 1900 by John Bowman
Wheeling began building boats, Barges, Bateaux, Flatboats, Keelboats, and Pirogues in 1774, the first Ohio River city to build boats, and the third settlement on the ‘Western Rivers’ to have a boat building industry. ‘Western Rivers’ are rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Red Stone Old Fort now Brownsville, Pennsylvania was building boats […]
Read More“BONNIE BELMONT” Book by Judge John S. (Salisbury) Cochran,1907 with history by John Bowman 2017
I believe this is a picture you will never see anywhere else…all three “BONNIE BELMONT” Editions together in one photo. “BONNIE BELMONT A Historical Romance of the Days of Slavery and the Civil War” Cochran, Judge John S. 1907, Wheeling, W. VA. Press of Wheeling News Lithograph Co. BONNIE BELMONT is perhaps is the […]
Read More“INLAND RIVER RECORD” 1945 Book by Way, Frederick, Jr. History by John Bowman
“INLAND RIVER RECORD” 1945 Book by Way, Frederick, Jr. History by John Bowman INLAND RIVER RECORD 1945 Way, Frederick, Jr. Steam and Diesel Vessels of the Mississippi River System in Operation as of March 1, 1945 Compiled by Frederick Way, Jr. 1945 121 River Avenue Sewickley, Pa. Sewickley Printing Shop, Inc. 148 pages 5 ½” […]
Read MoreMOUNDSVILLE FERRYBOAT “PAM” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1958 and named for Pam Ruble by John Bowman
PAM was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1958 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel Ferry Towboat with a General Motors 3-71 100 hp diesel engine for Rosswell E. Ruble of Powhatan Point, Ohio, Rosswell named the boat for his daughter, Pam Ruble. Ruble owned the […]
Read MoreMOUNDSVILLE FERRYBOAT “RANDY” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1957 and named for Randy Ruble by John Bowman
RANDY was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) built RANDY in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1957 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel Ferry Towboat with a General Motors 3-71 100 hp diesel engine for Rosswell E. Ruble of Powhatan Point, Ohio. Rosswell named the boat for his son, […]
Read MoreBOAZ DIESEL TOWBOAT built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1957 by John Bowman
BOAZ was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1957 as a steel-hulled twin prop Diesel towboat with two General Motors diesel engines developing 450 hp for the Monongahela and Ohio Dredging Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania length 60’ width 20’ hull depth 7’. BOAZ […]
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