Category Archives: Wheeling WV History
MOUNDSVILLE 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 […]
Read MoreNORTH STAR DIESEL TOWBOAT built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1956 by John Bowman
NORTH STAR was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1956 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel towboat with a General Motors 6-71 250 hp diesel engine for the North Star Transfer Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she was completed. Length 50’ width 12’. NORTH […]
Read MoreSISTERSVILLE FERRYBOAT “RIDES” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1955 by John Bowman
RIDES was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1955 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel ferry towboat with a 180 hp Cummins diesel engine for the Sistersville Ferry Co. which operated its ferry service from Sistersville, West Virginia to Fly, Ohio. In 1957, […]
Read MoreYATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA 1953 – 1967
YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA 1953 – 1967 by John Bowman In 1953, YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Thomas ‘Jack’ and Pluckebaum, Arthur) began building diesel towboats, ferry flats and barges in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia. Yates and Pluckebaum had worked in the Louisville, Kentucky, Jeffersonville, Indiana boat yards, and in 1953, […]
Read MoreBLOCH BROS. “MAIL POUCH” CHEWING TOBACCO
BLOCH BROTHERS TOBACCO COMPANY by John Bowman MAIL POUCH CHEWING TOBACCO and BLOCH BROTHERS TOBACCO COMPANY dates from 1879, when Samuel S. Bloch and Aaron Bloch started their business with ten women at 1501-1503 Main Street in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tobacco business amounted to a group of women rolling cigars on the second floor […]
Read MoreWHEELING CANNON “Old Garibaldi”
WHEELING’S “OLD GARIBALDI” Civil War CANNON by John Bowman “OLD GARIBALDI” was forged at Wheeling, Virginia’s La Belle Iron Works, Cut Nail Plant in 1861 and fired following the CIVIL WAR, the SPANISH AMERICAN WAR, WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, the KOREAN WAR, the VIETNAM WAR, and the PERSIAN GULF WAR. The Cannon, named […]
Read MoreCROCKARD & BOOTH STEAMBOAT AGENTS WHARFBOAT
CROCKARD & BOOTH STEAMBOAT AGENTS WHEELING WHARF BOAT Authentic scale model by John Bowman This Crockard & Booth Steamboat Agents wharf boat was built at Murraysville, West Virginia and delivered to John Crockard and Captain John K. Booth in 1889. The floating warehouse was purchased to replace “Booth’s Old Reliable” which had been in service […]
Read MoreSUNNY SOUTH DISH BOAT and a HOUSE or SHANTY BOAT
The SUNNY SOUTH DISH BOAT and a HOUSE or SHANTY BOAT Models by John Bowman The Sunny South was a houseboat or shanty boat with about one third of the interior fitted out as a country store, (Aka) also known as a “Dish Boat” (so called as it featured china from the upper Ohio River […]
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