You are here: Home > Franklin County Maritime Heritage Museum >
Steamboats on the Apalachicola River
Steamboat travel began on the Apalachicola River in 1827 with the arrival of the steamboat Fannie. For the next 120 years, hundreds of boats would ply the Apalachicola-Flint-Chattachoochee River system (ACF) transporting people and goods between Apalachicola and Columbus, Georgia and profoundly influencing the growth and development of the entire region.
Steamboat travel was initially driven by the thriving cotton boom. The first steamboats, the Fanny (Captain Jenkins) and the Steubenville (Captain Vincent) had appeared on the river in the summer of 1827. By 1832, there were seven steamboats plying between Apalachicola and Columbus. Exports from Apalachicola in 1832 included 16,000 bales of cotton, 491,000 feet of lumber and 40,000 slaves.
Between 1829 and 1930, there were reportedly more than 200 riverboats operating on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint River system (ACF). During that time, sixty four steamboats listed Apalachicola as their home port. Eight vessels were built in Apalachicola but most were built on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. (Rogers, At the Waters’ Edge)
The steamboats were designed for both freight and passengers. Most were side-wheelers because they were more powerful and maneuverable than stern-wheelers and could be docked more easily.
Steamboats on the Apalachicola transported a variety of cargo on her trips between Columbus and Apalachicola including cotton, lumber, furniture, dry goods, tools, business supplies, salt and seafood.
From its inception, steamboat commerce provided a link to the outside world for all those who lived along or near the river. In Apalachicola, commercial river shipping was multi-facted and consisted of receiving goods from upriver producers, shipping goods upriver to merchants and individuals, exporting and importing in the coastal trade and exporting and importing in the international trade.
Apalachicola’s river shipping industry was not destined to last however. By 1850, Apalachicola’s shipping numbers had started to dwindle due to low river water levels caused by a lack of rain, inadequate maintenance and removal of snags and obstructions, limited funding to dredge the harbor and increasing competition from railroads that had begun to divert traffic from the river shipping industry.
Anatomy of a Steamboat
Steamboats navigated the river by means of a paddlewheel located at the stern or side. Steamboats featured flat shallow-draft hulls that enabled them to navigate the river even during times of low water. Hulls were usually made of oak or other water-resistant materials.
Paddlewheelers featured wooden buckets, or paddles that propelled the vessel through the water. The pilot steered the boat from the pilot house which was located high atop the boat for the best view of the river.
Steamboat funnels or stacks carried away smoke and soot and created a draft of air that caused the fire in the furnance to burn at a high temperature. Operating steamboats was an inexact science that demanded experience and nerves of steel. Maintaining appropriate water levels and steam pressure were critical. A sudden increase in pressure could, and often did, lead to catastrophic explosions.
Many of the steamboats that operated on the Apalachicola River featured several decks, each with its own purpose. The main deck carried cargo and the ship’s machinery; the boiler deck contained passenger cabins and a central dining room; the Texas deck contained cabins for crew and the hurricane deck was the open deck where passengers could stroll and relax.