Flat bottom boat engraving Save
Description: An engraving depicting a flat bottom boat. The caption reads: "Grave par Tardieu l'aine. Sketch of a Flat bottom Boat; such as are used to descend the Ohio and the Mississippi." French part of the caption translates as "Engraved by Tardieu the elder" which indicates that it is most likely work of Jean Baptiste Pierre Tardieu (1746-1816), a prominent French cartographer and engraver.
Flat bottom boats or flatboats were rectangular boats intended for short term use. They were built without keels which made them less sturdy and harder to navigate. Their history dates back to May, 1782, when Pennsylvania farmer, Jacob Yoder, became the first person to successfully navigate a flatboat from Brownsville to New Orleans, proving they can be used for commercial shipping. By 1810 there were about 3000 flatboats descending the Ohio river and the boat building business was booming. Flatboats played a significant role in the history of America’s westward expansion. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07754
Subjects: Ohio River; Mississippi River; Boats; American frontier; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Image ID: AL07754
Subjects: Ohio River; Mississippi River; Boats; American frontier; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State viewed from mid-river, upstream about 100 feet from boats on Kanawha River. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenvarth Floating Theater and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show," which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company," complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail.
In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07589
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07589
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Boats docked in harbor photograph Save
Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows several boats moored at docks near Lake Erie. Boats visible are ROG JUT - Oak Harbor; Luella - Fremont and Sarad. A sign in the background reads "The Port Clinton Fish Co.," which could refer to Port Clinton Fish Company started in 1910 by the Lay Brothers of Sandusky, Ohio.
This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F08_007_001
Subjects: Boats and boating; Harbors--Ohio; Fisheries--Erie, Lake; Summer
Places: Erie County (Ohio)
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F08_007_001
Subjects: Boats and boating; Harbors--Ohio; Fisheries--Erie, Lake; Summer
Places: Erie County (Ohio)
Boat on Miami and Erie Canal photograph Save
Description: Dated to 1904, this photograph shows two boats on the Miami and Erie Canal. These state boats are tied behind the Dayton fairgrounds at mile marker 181 of the canal. Work began on the Miami and Erie Canal in 1825 and was completed in 1845. During the peak of construction, more than four thousand laborers worked on the canal, generally earning 30 cents per day plus room and board. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio's communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads.
This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F05_009
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation--Ohio; Boats and boating; Montgomery County (Ohio)
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F05_009
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation--Ohio; Boats and boating; Montgomery County (Ohio)
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
Olentangy Park boat house Save
Description: Picture of the boat house at Olentangy Park. The boats used naphtha engines, a type of engine used to power small boats in the early 1900s. Olentangy Park was an amusement park that opened in 1893 by Robert M. Turner, originally called The Villa. It was bought in 1896 by the Columbus Street and Railroad Company, and then again by the Dusenbury brothers in 1899. The brothers constructed a theater, a merry-go-round, and other rides like Loop-the-Loop roller coaster. The property was sold again in 1926 to the Olentangy Amusement Company, then to Leo and Elmer Haenlein in 1929. At this point a zoo and a ballroom were added to the park. Olentangy Park closed in 1937 after being purchased by the L. L. Leveque Company. The Gooding Amusement Company bought the Ferris wheel, airplane ride, rifle range, and the carousel, which is now located at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The park was located along the banks of the Olentangy River in Columbus, Ohio, on land which, as of 2014, was owned by the Olentangy Village Apartments. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07725
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Amusement parks; Olentangy River (Ohio); Boats
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
Image ID: AL07725
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Amusement parks; Olentangy River (Ohio); Boats
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
'Mississippi Raft' engraving Save
Description: This engraving is captioned "The Mississippi Raft," and shows a type of watercraft often used to transport goods and people on rivers and other waterways during the early 19th century in the United States. In the era before railroads and automobiles, rivers, lakes, and canals were important transportation routes in the United States. They were easier and more economical to travel than were the roads of the time. Prior to the invention of steamboats, waterways were navigated in boats powered by sail, human muscle, or the current. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC181_02
Subjects: Boats and boating; Transportation; Mississippi River;
Places: Mississippi River;
Image ID: SC181_02
Subjects: Boats and boating; Transportation; Mississippi River;
Places: Mississippi River;
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State side by side at portside landing near the base of a stone pier for the railroad bridge over Kanawha River, just above Enterprise Drydock, Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia. Viewed about 100 feet upstream. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07588
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07588
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State at starboard landing, Temple of Amusement being pushed backward, Mt. Vesuvius sign on roof. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07590
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07590
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State at starboard landing near pile of boards in right foreground. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07591
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07591
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State at portside landing with a steep embankment. Mount Vesuvius sign on roof. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07592
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07592
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State at a rocky portside landing. The river is wide and surrounding land is quite level with prominent trees or other features. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07593
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07593
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Temple of Amusement and Mountain State boats photograph Save
Description: Temple of Amusement and Mountain State at starboard landing, a few feet beyond water line, Mount Vesuvius sign on roof. The Mountain State was a towboat that often traveled with the E.E. Eisenbarth Floating Theatre and Temple of Amusement. Ellsworth Eugene Eisenbarth was born October 22, 1864, in Ironton, Ohio. The family later moved to Wetzel County, West Virginia. By 1889, Eisenbarth was traveling the mid-Atlantic states in "The Oregon Indian Medicine Show" which featured such entertainment as real cowboys and “Indians.” He next bought a floating store, which he refitted as a showboat and christened "The Eisenbarth Wild West & Floating Opera." The endeavor lasted from 1891 to 1895. By the late 1890s, Eisenbarth and his wife Julia had founded "The Eisenbarth & Henderson Mammoth and Combined Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company" complete with calliope, band and orchestra, which also traveled throughout the middle states by rail. In February of 1900, E.E. and Julia converted a glass barge named the E.V. Poke No. 2 into "The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre, Temple of Amusement." This showboat and its successor ("The Eisenbarth-Henderson Floating Theatre-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement")were devoted to bringing Shakespearean plays and other dramas, such as “Human Hearts” to the waterways. Eisenbarth also worked with a traveling company of players, perhaps to remain off the rivers during the winter months. The Temple cleared more money than almost any other boat on the Ohio River, even though it only played four nights a week and never on Sunday. Julia Eisenbarth died on November 30, 1906, and E.E. remarried in 1908 to Jennie Salina Brown. In 1909, he presented his last show on a riverboat, “The Castle.” He sold The Temple showboat to the Needham-Steiner Amusement Company that year, and although he made bids on other boats, these proved unsuccessful and The Temple ended up being his last showboat.
E. E. Eisenbarth died on July 17, 1925 and was buried next to his first wife in Williams Cemetery in New Martinsville, West Virginia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07594
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
Image ID: AL07594
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Showboats; Ohio River; Traveling shows; Theater--Ohio; Boats
Places: Kanawha River (West Virginia)
