New Matamoras in Washington County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Frontier Boat Launch
Partners in Action Working together to serve people and care for the land of southeast Ohio
Photographed by Michael Herrick, February 26, 2018
1. Frontier Boat Launch Marker
The Frontier Boat Launch opened in spring 2011. Ohio is in the top ten in the nation for boating, with 400,000 registered boaters.
Boating is big business, and this six-acre public site is a welcome asset for the local economy. Statewide, recreational boating brings in $3.2 billion per year! With the Ohio River Scenic Byway and this premier launch facility, local communities hope more visitors will come to the area.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Division of Watercraft awarded $2.2 million to the project. Ohio has invested $39 million between 1997 and 2013 to improve boater access. The USDA Forest Service-Wayne National Forest oversaw the project and contributed funding as well.
In 2012, the Wayne National Forest staff was nationally recognized for the Frontier Boat Launch as providing one of the few fully accessible boat launch facilities along this section of the Ohio River.
The late Sam Kidd, former President of the Local Economic Development Association (FLEDA), was a staunch supporter of the Frontier boat launch.
New Matamoras Mayor Dennis Agin described Sam as someone who could walk into
this page online
With Sam's help everyone in the area was soon behind this project. Sam's wife Vesta represented FLEDA at the opening ceremony.
Local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6387 and 5108, along with Cub Scout Pack 250, raised the flag at the ribbon cutting for the boat launch. The flag pole was donated and installed by the boat launch contractor Jerry Welch, President of the D.J. Group, Inc. who is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business located in Beverly, OH.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 39° 26.983′ N, 81° 7.792′ W. Marker is in New Matamoras, Ohio, in Washington County. It is on Ohio Route 7 0.2 miles north of Sheets Run (County Route 22), on the right when traveling north. Located on the Ohio River in the Wayne National Forest. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Matamoras OH 45767, United States of America.
Photographed by Michael Herrick, February 26, 2018
2. Frontier Boat Launch Marker
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: James W. Williamson (approx. 1.3 miles away in West Virginia); Reynolds Mound (approx. 3.6 miles away in West Virginia); Early Settlers (approx. 4.9 miles away in West Virginia); Eureka Methodist Church Bell (approx. 5.6 miles away in West Virginia); Pleasants County Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.7 miles away in West Virginia); The St. Mary's Oracle (approx. 5.7 miles away in West Virginia); Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 5.7 miles away in West Virginia); Raid on St. Marys (approx. 5.8 miles away in West Virginia).
Also see . . . Wayne National Forest. (Submitted on March 7, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Photographed by Michael Herrick, February 26, 2018
3. Frontier Boat Launch Marker
The boat launch ramp, leading down to the Ohio River. It was running very high at this time.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 7, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.
