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Steamboat Era Museum, 156 King Carter Drive, Irvington, VA (2026)

06/04/2026

Wharf Wednesday 6/3/2026 Parkers Wharf and Forrests

Traveling north on the Patuxent from Sotterley and on the left bank of the river was Parkers Wharf, owned by Dr. Phillip Briscoe and open only to the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway Company. Dr. Briscoe gross income was $275 per year, about $7,400 in today’s money.

The 47’ by 79’ wharf was a standard T-shaped wooden pile structure with a warehouse and stock pen. A steel industrial track was on the 450’ long pier. Each week, six steamers of the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway Company docked and delivered seven tons of store goods, household goods, mill feed and construction materials. The steamers carried out 245 pieces of poultry, fruit, to***co and stock. Twelve passengers arrived or departed in a week.

In April of 1900, excitement landed in the Patuxent River opposite Parkers when a hot air balloon from Portsmouth came down to earth!

Continuing north was Forrests, on the right bank of the Patuxent. This wharf was owned by the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway Company on land owned by Mr. John Key.

The irregularly T-shaped wharf was in good condition with a wharf end 46’ by 35’ and a 12’ wide pier. The steel industrial track carried a hand operated wooden platform flatcar.

Weekly an estimated 31 passengers arrived or departed on the six steamers that docked. Weekly, outgoing freight was 47 pieces per week of to***co, grain, oysters and poultry. The incoming freight consisted of 13 tons of hay, merchandise and household goods.

The Baltimore Sun 17 Dec 1905 reported on a unique steamer excursion up the Patuxent. The idea was conceived by Mr. William L. Amoss, director of Farmers Institute of the Maryland Agricultural College, to teach modern, scientific ways of growing to***co and corn and raising poultry. Mr. Amoss found that most farmers used the same farming methods their fathers and grandfathers used, with falling harvests especially of to***co. Forrests Wharf had 19 school children in attendance led by teacher Miss Mazie Dent!

05/31/2026

Sunday on a Steamboat 5/31/2026 YORKTOWN

In 1928, the Chesapeake Steamship Company contracted with Newport News Shipbuilding to build a new steamer named YORKTOWN. She was the third vessel to bear the name and the last overnight passenger steamer built for the Chesapeake Bay. She measured 277’ in length with a 53’ beam and a steel hull. Her triple-expansion steam engine featured cylinders measuring 23”, 39”, and 47” in diameter, with 47” and 40” strokes, generating 2,700 horsepower. Designed for comfort, YORKTOWN accommodated 330 passengers in rooms with berths or beds, including several suites. Each room had a telephone.

YORKTOWN operated on the Baltimore–Norfolk–West Point route and carried excursion passengers. In 1937, after the steamer CITY OF BALTIMORE was destroyed by fire, YORKTOWN was reassigned to the Baltimore–Old Point Comfort–Norfolk route while another vessel took over York River service. The fire also led to new maritime safety regulations requiring automatic sprinkler systems aboard passenger steamers. Until these upgrades were completed, YORKTOWN and other Chesapeake Steamship Company vessels were limited to freight service only. That same year, YORKTOWN collided with a freighter in Baltimore Harbor, resulting in both captains having their licenses suspended for 30 days.

In 1942, YORKTOWN was requisitioned by the U.S. government for service during WW II. Along with seven other steamers, she was assigned to cross the Atlantic to operate under the British Navy. Before departure, YORKTOWN underwent a dramatic conversion: nearly all saloon-deck staterooms were removed to create troop accommodations, guns and gun tubs were added, and wooden planking covered windows and other openings.

During the Atlantic crossing, the convoy faced high winds, rough seas, and the ever-present danger of German U-boats. YORKTOWN never reached her destination. Torpedoed by U-619, she sank within minutes. Forty-three crewmembers survived.

For a factual and gripping account of these events, Jack Shaum’s latest book, Steamboats vs. U-Boats: The Story of Convoy Maniac, is available through the Steamboat Era Museum

05/29/2026

Last call!

THE BOOTS ARE BACK-TOMORROW!

Come out and make your own boots as seen in front of the Steamboat Era Museum!

05/28/2026

Wharf Wednesday 5/27/2026 Sotterley

On the right bank of the Patuxent in St. Mary’s County sits Sotterley, a plantation and grand manor home originally belonging to the Plater family. In 1910, the plantation and wharf was purchased by Herbert L. Satterlee of New York City, the son-in-law of J. Pierpont Morgan. In 1914, Satterlee began reconstructing the grounds and buildings. For more information about Sotterley history go to https://sotterley.org/our-history/. The picture of Sotterley’s wharf is from this website.

When the Army Corp of Engineers examined the P-shaped wharf in 1911 or 1912, it was in poor condition. The wharf was 38’ by 61’ with an overall length was 256’. There was a frame warehouse on the wharf and a steel industrial track on the pier. The wharf, and all those along the Patuxent faced severe winter weather in 1893 and 1895, with ice gorges that damaged the wharves to various degrees. In 1889 a hurricane moved up the Patuxent and Sotterley lost its warehouse, and in an 1899 tornado, it again lost its warehouse.

Incoming freight was about 32 tons per week of merchandise, liquors, fertilizer and hay. To***co, wheat, poultry and oysters of approximately 258 pieces were shipped out weekly. Seven vessels arrived or departed weekly, along with about ten passengers. The wharf was open to all so the number of dockages included all types of vessels.

The Weems Line serviced the wharf with THEODORE WEEMS. After an 1890 fire, it was repaired and renamed ST. MARY’S and the route continued. The 1888 schedule pictured shows the round-trip fare of $2.50, about $88 today. After the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Company purchased the Weems Line, they continued to dock at Sotterley until 1918. The year is based on published schedules that were no longer in the local newspapers.

05/24/2026

Sunday on a Steamboat 5/24/2026 DISTRICT of COLUMBIA

The DISTRICT of COLUMBIA was built in 1925 in Wilmington, Delaware, for the Norfolk and Washington Steamboat Company and was the last vessel constructed for the line.

Steel-hulled, the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA measured 298 feet in length, with a 51-foot beam and a 16-foot depth of hold. She carried up to 600 passengers and featured 165 staterooms. The September 13, 1924, issue of the Ledger-Star (Norfolk, Virginia) described her as “modern in every way,” highlighting amenities such as running ice water, hot and cold bathing water, private tiled bathrooms, steam heat, mechanical air-cooling equipment, electric fans, mahogany-finished saloons, a barber shop, steam steering gear, and mechanically operated lifeboat davits. The newspaper also emphasized her “extra watertight steel safety bulkheads” — a reassuring feature only twelve years after the TITANIC disaster.

Despite her modern design, the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA experienced several mishaps. In 1932, she collided with the freighter YAMACHICHI near Old Point Comfort, suffering severe damage to her upper works. In January 1935, carrying only 75 passengers and 29 automobiles, she ran aground seven miles above Colonial Beach while navigating through dense fog. Two years later, on April 26, 1937, she encountered a violent storm after departing Old Point Comfort, facing 65 mph winds and 30-foot waves that wrecked her dining room.

Her worst disaster came on October 31, 1948. In dense “pea soup” fog, the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA departed Old Point Comfort, sounding her bells and whistle as required, when she sideswiped the tanker TEXACO GEORGIA. Investigators believed a strong tide pulled the steamer to starboard despite efforts to steer to port. The collision tore away roughly 75 feet of the ship’s starboard side, destroying ten cabins. Tragically, one passenger, still in her cabin, was killed, and several others among the 59 passengers onboard were injured.

At the time, the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA was the Norfolk and Washington Steamboat Company’s only remaining vessel. Already facing declining revenues, the company was overwhelmed by the cost of catastrophic damage and a lawsuit filed by Texaco, ultimately forcing it into bankruptcy.

Purchased by the Old Bay Line for $75,552, ($1.06 million today) the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA was repaired, converted from coal to oil, and equipped with radar. She returned to service on the Potomac — a new route for the Old Bay Line — but continued declines in passenger traffic led to reduced service and eventual retirement. After the Old Bay Line ceased operations in 1962, the steamer was sold to private owners in New England and was destroyed by fire in 1969.

All photos from the Jack Shaum Collection. Many thanks to Jack for his lifelong passion for the history of steamboats.

05/22/2026

Save the Date!

The 15th annual Irvington Crab Festival is right around the corner.

🦀Join us on September 19th to support the museum, enjoy our community, and eat some crab!🦀

Tickets are now on sale via our website. Act quick and grab the early bird special: https://steamboateramuseum.org/events/crab-festival/

05/20/2026

Wharf Wednesday 5/20/2026 Sollers and Mackall’s

Heading north from Spencers Wharf on the Patuxent, the next wharf is Sollers, located on the left bank of St. Leonards Creek at the point it empties into the Patuxent. The wharf was owned by James C. Sollers, who grossed $450 per year, $15,775 in today’s money. The wharf was open to all vessels. David Holly said in his book Tidewater by Steamboat that the wharf was named for John Sollers who settled in Anne Arundel County in 1640 before moving to Calvert County.

The Army Corp of Engineers found the irregularly shaped wharf in good condition, with a river face of 34’ wide. There was a warehouse on the wharf and the 120’ long pier had a wooden track railway. Seven dockages weekly delivered incoming freight of store goods, farm implements and household goods of about seven tons while outgoing freight was farm produce and lumber. Tomatoes were a prime product, and 96 baskets were shipped out weekly. Shipping costs were $0.25 per 100 baskets.

Mackall’s wharf was across from Sollers. David Holly noted this wharf was also known as St. Leonards, which is how it is listed in the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railways steamer schedules. Holly also said the Weems Line had abandoned this wharf because of the shoaling. In 1905, when the Weems Line was dissolved into the MD&V, MD&V owned the wharf and it was on their schedule. In the published schedules for the line, there was no mention of the wharf after the 1918 newspapers.

The Army Corp of Engineers found St. Leonards in reversed P-shaped wharf poor condition. The wharf was 65’ by 39’ and the pier was 12’ wide’ the total length was 230’. There was a warehouse and stock pen on the wharf. Six steamers docked each week, and 13 passengers arrived or departed in the same period. About 77 pieces of to***co, grain, oysters and fruit were shipped out per week and 2 ½ tons of fertilizer and store were delivered. There wasn’t a local company or person that delivered goods further and the nearest railroad was 30 miles away at Owen Station.

05/18/2026

Monday on a Steamboat 5/18/2026 WESTMORELAND

The steamer WESTMORELAND was built in 1883 by William Skinner & Sons of Baltimore for the Weems Lines as Henry Williams continued to modernize the line’s vessels. Steamers were expensive to build so a 17-year-old engine salvaged from MATILDA, converted to a barge in 1882. Unfortunately, the vertical beam engine with a 48” diameter cylinder and a 148” stroke was too slow. WESTMORELAND was average size at 199’ long and her hull was 32’ wide plus 10’ each side for the paddle boxes. She had a crew of 32.

WESTMORELAND, the first Weems steamer named for Maryland or Virginia counties, had an opulent interior. Mahogany, cypress, walnut and cherry paneling, overstuffed chairs and heavy dark carpeting. Staterooms surrounded the saloon on the passenger deck and were arranged in two banks connected by inside corridors. The inside cabins were cheaper because there were no view and no ventilation while the outside cabins were more expensive because of the view and ventilation! Gaslight from pressurized tanks was connected to piping throughout ship and there was running water in the first-class staterooms, which was highly advertised. With a carved eagle on paddle box and above the pilothouse, WESTMORELAND was the pride of the line.

WESTMORELAND was first assigned to run from Baltimore to Fredericksburg but in 1885 she was moved to the shorter Patuxent River route because of her slow speed. In 1905 with the sale of the Weems Line, she went to the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway and continued on the Patuxent. In 1910, WESTMORELAND had multiple staterooms removed and became a 2,200-passenger capacity excursion steamer to Love Point a resort on the northern tip of Kent Island and about 1.5 hours from Baltimore. By 1919, she was making two trips per days and continued until 1923 when the MD&V went bankrupt. She was sold to a gravel company and scrapped in 1925.

05/17/2026

Sunday on a Steamboat 5/17/2026 WESTMORELAND

The steamer WESTMORELAND was built in 1883 by William Skinner & Sons of Baltimore for the Weems Lines as Henry Williams continued to modernize the line’s vessels. Steamers were expensive to build so the 17-year-old engine salvaged from MATILDA, who was converted to a barge in 1882. Unfortunately, the vertical beam engine with a 48” diameter cylinder and a 148” stroke was too slow. WESTMORELAND was average size at 199’ long, hull was 32’ wide plus 10’ each side for the paddle boxes and had a crew of 32.

WESTMORELAND was the first Weems steamer named for Maryland or Virginia counties. As with all Weems vessels, her interior was opulent. Mahogany, cypress, walnut and cherry paneling, overstuffed chairs and heavy dark carpeting. Staterooms, surrounded the saloon on the passenger deck, were arranged in two banks connected by inside corridors. The inside cabins were cheaper because there were no view and no ventilation while the outside cabins were more expensive because of the view and ventilation! Gaslight from pressurized tanks was connected to piping throughout ship and there was running water in the first-class staterooms, which was highly advertised. With a carved eagle on paddle box and above the pilothouse, WESTMORELAND was the pride of the line.

WESTMORELAND was first assigned to run from Baltimore to Fredericksburg but in 1885 she was moved to the shorter Patuxent River route because of her slow speed. In 1905 with the sale of the Weems Line, she went to the Maryland, Delaware & Virginia Railway and continued on the Patuxent. In 1910, WESTMORELAND had multiple staterooms removed and became a 2,200-passenger capacity excursion steamer to Love Point, a resort on the northern tip of Kent Island and about 1.5 hours from Baltimore. By 1919, she was making two trips per days and continued until 1923 when the MD&V went bankrupt. She was sold to a gravel company and scrapped in 1925.

05/11/2026

Sunday on a Steamboat 5/10/2026 MASON L. WEEMS

In 1881, William Skinner & Sons of Baltimore built steamer MASON L. WEEMS. Henry Williams, president of the Weems Line, was modernizing the steamer fleet to increase profits. His vision for the new steamer was increased speed to dock at more wharves in less time and therefore gain more passengers and more freight.

MASON L. WEEMS was 221’ long with a 12’ depth of hold and a vertical “walking” beam. Her hull was only 33’ wide with huge paddlewheels adding 12’ on each side. The engine’s cylinder was 56” in diameter with a 11.5-foot stroke. She was capable of 18-20 mph and could carry double the freight of other Weems steamers. MASON WEEMS also had a luxurious interior – handcrafted paneling by Charles Morris, great stairway, saloon gallery, stained glass skylights and lavish staterooms. It cost over $100,000 to build her - $3.2 million today.

That was the vision, this was the reality. With a full load of freight, the slim hull allowed the steamer to sink lower in the water. Although her depth of hold was no deeper than other steamers, this increased her draft to the point where it was risky to navigate Carters Creek or Urbanna or the winding river of the upper Rappahannock. The huge thrust of the paddlewheels created a surge that sank the steamer even lower.

And then there were the incidents. MASON L. WEEMS was stranded at Urbanna for a week in August 1882. In November of the same year, she collided with schooner Brooklyn near Sandy Point. She ran aground near Bowlers Wharf in 1886. In April 1887, she hit the schooner Joshua Baker between Point Lookout and Point-on-Point, resulting in a 40’ gouge in her starboard side and a smashed paddlewheel. In October of 1888, MASON L. WEEMS lost her rudder just above Port Royal. No wonder she gained a reputation for being hard to handle.

Due to high fuel costs, Henry Williams in 1890 sold her to Romer & Tremper Steamboat Company of Kingston NY. Her name was changed to WILLIAM F. ROMER. As WILLIAM F. ROMER, she reached a speed 24 mph on the Hudson River. But her speed caused her to run full speed into a solid clay bank, with her paddlewheels 5’ above water. She was sold again 1913 then junked in 1920.

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