Category Archives: Steamboat Birthplace
LOG BOOK OF THE STEAMER BOAZ FRANK A. GOULD CAPTAIN by John Bowman©
Excerpts from the Towboat BOAZ LOG BOOK by Capt. Frank A. Gould December 27, 1904 to March 5, 1913. LOG BOOK OF THE STEAMER BOAZ FRANK A. GOULD Captain The stern-wheel towboat Boaz (Way T0277), the third of five towboats with this name had her hull built at Sewickley, Pennsylvania. She was completed at Pittsburgh […]
Read MoreWHEELING’S SCULL and SHELL BOAT RACING and WHEELING BOAT CLUBS 1865 – 1900 by John Bowman
In 1865, the Civil War had ended, soothing the entirety of America’s humanity. What was one to do now? Wheeling had the river, the magnificent Ohio River, and it would fit into the thoughts of “something to do now”. The colleges of Harvard and Yale in 1843 made use of the river, racing rowboats; making this […]
Read MoreTHE WHEELING, PARKERSBURG AND CINCINNATI STEAMBOAT TRANSPORTATION COMPANY by John Bowman
Ohio River Steamboat Transportation Companies Headquartered in Wheeling / Wheeling Packet Lines. The Wheeling, Parkersburg and Cincinnati Transportation Company in business from early 1867 owned and ran these steamboats, the 1864 Rebecca from 1867 to 1869, the 1862 Express from 1869 to 1871, the 1870 Courier from 1870 to 1884, and the 1870 Express No. […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOAT PASSAGE AND FARE MID – 1800s by John Bowman
When you booked passage on a 1800s steamboat, and depending on what you could afford, you found quite a difference between the conditions enjoyed by steamboat cabin passengers and deck passengers. Those who could afford the best traveled in near splendor. We are talking of ‘For that time’. Boarding the boat at the bow, Forecastle, […]
Read MoreBILL OF LADING – FREIGHT ON BOARD Regarding FLATBOATS, KEELBOATS, and STEAMBOATS by John Bowman
What is a steamboat “Bill of Lading”?[i] A steamboat Bill of Lading was a two-piece receipt torn from a bound book, usually kept at the Wharfboat office that listed the goods received by a steamboat agent one copy of which was given to the carrier of the goods and one copy was given to the […]
Read MoreThe WHEELING – LOUISVILLE ‘UNION LINE’ WHEELING’S 1853 STEAMBOAT PACKET LINE by John Bowman
The WHEELING – LOUISVILLE ‘UNION LINE’ Daily served the cities of Wheeling, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis. Ohio River Steamboat Transportation Companies Headquartered in Wheeling, Virginia (West Virginia) The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer March 11, 1853 UNION LINE! Daily Steam Packet Service to the cities of Wheeling, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis. S.C. Baker & Co. […]
Read MoreOHIO RIVER TOWBOAT COMPANIES HEADQUARTERED AT WHEELING by John Bowman
WHEELING’S OHIO RIVER TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES Armstrong brothers, John A. and Robert P. of Wheeling, West Virginia in 1871, went into the towboat business hauling crossties for the B&O Railroad and coal from the mines at Wegee Creek, Ohio. In 1875, three other Armstrong brothers joined the business, William H., Walter M., and Charles L. These […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOAT UNIFORMS and CAPS CATALOG No. 701
STEAMBOAT UNIFORMS and CAPS 1921 Catalog No. 701 from the John Bowman collection THE CINCINNATI REGALIA CO. Textile Building Fourth and Elm Streets CINCINNATI, OHIO A 12 page Catalog of Popular Uniform Designs for Discerning Rivermen This CINCINNATI REGALIA CO. catalog states they offer: INDIVIDUAL SERVICE “We will furnish special designs to meet individual requirements, […]
Read MoreWHEELING STEEL CORP. TOWBOAT FLEET by John Bowman
WHEELING STEEL CORP. – WHEELING-PITTSBURG STEEL CORP. WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA WHEELING STEEL & IRON CO. was formed by the consolidation of the Benwood, Belmont and Top Mills, and was incorporated April 16, 1892 as the Wheeling Steel Works. Wheeling Steel’s plants in Wheeling in the early 1900s were the La Belle Works at Thirty-First Street, […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOAT STACKS LOWERED FOR THE WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE by John Bowman
The River Coal or River Combine (R.C.) 1894 Coal Towboat Valiant down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and the Steel Bridge with lowered stacks. In this, a second photo, the River Combine (R.C.) 1880 Coal Towboat Iron Age down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and […]
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