Wharfboat

Wharfboat. . , Throughout most of the 1800s until the 1930s the wharfboat played a significant role in the life of Rising Sun, The wharfboat served as a floating warehouse on the river. The railroad never came to Rising Sun, although during the 1870s and 1880s there was talk and surveys were conducted to see if it was possible. It was here that steamboats and flatboats loaded and unloaded produce, hardware, and people., Hartford, located seven miles on Laughery Creek, became a place where many flatboats were built. In the 1880s, 12 to 24 flatboats could be seen packed with shipments of corn, flour, lumber, whisky, and stone, ready to float down the river to southern ports. Other flatboats built in Hartford would be loaded with cargo at the wharfboat. This made for a hum of activity in Rising Sun., By the 1930s trains, automobiles, and trucks had mostly replaced the steamboat in transporting goods up and down the Ohio River. Today, tow barges continue to move coal up and down the river, while steamboats carry passengers out on a pleasure trip, periodically making stops in Rising Sun., captions, top to bottom: , . The Wharfboat is partially hidden by The Swan. View looks toward Rising Sun; look how shallow the Ohio River is. Circa 18--. , . The flood of 1884 shoved The Wharfboat (back center) to Front Street. Empire House is the three-story building on the right. , . Wharfboat at foot of 2nd Street was a busy place. A steamboat and flatboat are loading and unloading goods. Note the barrels and three horse-drawn wagons ---. Circa 1900.