Steamboats; Riverboats; Excursion boats; "Belle of Louisville"; "Avalon"; Ferries; USO clubs; Rose Island
Built in 1914 this boat went by the name Idlewild from that date to 1947. She then became the Avalon from 1947 to 1962 when she was dubbed "Belle of Louisville". She is a shallow draft boat which enables her to glide over water that would not be...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Excursion boat; Steamboat accidents; Ohio River
The "Island Queen" glides down the Ohio near Madison, Indiana. She was built in 1925 and for more than 20 years, she carried "day trippers" on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Coney Island. She also ran excursions along the inland waterways...
She was built in Dubuque in 1896 as the "Quincy" for the Diamond Jo Line for use in the St. Louis-St. Paul trade. She was sold to the Streckfus Line and was completely rebuilt to become the super excursion boat, the "J. S. Deluxe." She was the...
The "J.T. Hatfield" is seen here at Madison, just past the Madison-Milton bridge. She was built as the "General Ashburn" but her name was changed in honor of James T. Hatfield when the Hatfield-Campbell Creek Coal Company bought her in 1945. She...
John Brough; Railroad locomotives; Railroads; Mountain railroads; Cog railroads; Baldwin Works; Madison
The cog locomotive "John Brough" was designed in 1849 and delivered in 1850 by the Baldwin Works to climb the "hill" in Madison. It was owned by the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad and named after John Brough, president of the company. It was...
This boat was built in 1910 by Howard as the "J. H. Menge" and later the "M. A. Burke," a cotton packet. It was sold to the Louisville and Cincinnati Packet Company in 1919 and then was sent to Mount City for extensive alterations before being...
She was built as the "Dolphin No. 3" at Jeffersonville, Indiana and was called the "Harry Anderson" for a brief period before receiving the name "Julius Fleischmann." She was owned by the Hatfield Coal Company and towed between the Kanawha River...
If the "Delta Queen" was the swan of the Ohio, then the "Kentucky" was the Little Mud Hen. According to Way's Packet Directory, "the cabin was shifted out of plumb and leaned in a uniform stagger creating an optical illusion seen nowhere else...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Marks and Benson; ice gorge; Steamboat accidents
The "Loucinda" was built in 1910 and was one of the casualties of the 1918 ice gorge that claimed several boats in Cincinnati. The inscription says, "Marks and Benson, American Boy excursion to Fern Grove, July 13, 1910.
This is the "M. G. Bright", the original No. 634. She was companion to the "Reuben Wells" and worked the incline until 1895 when she was replaced by the new coal burner. The Bright was of the rack and pinion style locomotive and was built by...
This may be the "Alma" built in 1907 at Wheeling, Virginia, but we have no further information. The "Madison" is probably the boat built by Howard in 1892. Judging by the horse-drawn wagons and coach, the date would probably be early 1900s.
This is the towboat "Miami". Built in 1912 in Cincinnati, she was mostly a contract towboat. She ended her career on the Kanawha River and was dismantled in 1946.
The "Monongahela" was built in 1927 and rebuilt in 1945-1946 when she was converted from coal to an oil burner. In the late 1950s she was partially dismantled. Her remains were sold to a South American firm. She broke away from her tug during...
Built in 1916 by the Howard works, she ran excursion in the Louisville area. This might be an excursion to Fern Grove. She was rebuilt in St. Louis and the name was changed to "Harry G. Drees".
Steamboats; Mail steamers; "Queen City"; Excursion boats; Riverboats; Steamboat accidents
The "Queen City" was built at Cincinnati Marine Railways for the Pittsburg and Cincinnati Packet Line. Coming back from a Mardi Gras trip she sank at the Falls of the Ohio on February 17, 1914. She laid up in the Kanawha River at Point Pleasant...
Reuben Wells, master mechanic, designed his namesake. It was built in the railroad shops at Jeffersonville, Indiana, under his supervision and placed in service in 1868. It was, at the time, the most powerful engine in the world. It was built to...
Railroad employees are posed with the "Reuben Wells." It was originally given the number 35, but was later changed to No. 365, and was specifically built for the JM and I Railroad for use on the incline at Madison, Indiana. It went into service...
The newly built "Reuben Wells" sits at the Jeffersonville yards where she was built for the J M & I Railroad under the supervision and to the specifications of Master Mechanic, Reuben Wells, for whom she was named. Her boiler was tilted forward to...
The inscription on the picture says, "Sternwheel Towboat "Samuel Clark" built in Pittsburg in 1870, was used on the Ohio River until 1916 when the superstructure was removed and the hull sold to Maj. J.F. Butts, Carrollton, Ky., for use as a barge...
