Newport in Washington County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Captain Gordon C. Greene
⎯⎯⎯
Captain Mary Becker Greene

Captain Gordon C. Greene Face of Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 14, 2011

1. Captain Gordon C. Greene Face of Marker

Inscription. Captain Gordon C. Greene, a veteran riverman, was born in Newport, Ohio, on September 8, 1862. In 1890 he started the “Greene Line” with the “Henry K. Bedford,” a small shallow draft steamer: he owned twenty-five packets in his lifetime. The “Greene Line” later became the “Greene Steamboat Line” then the “Delta Queen Steamboat Company,” with the original port at the Newport Landing. The Greene family launched packets for tours on the Ohio River and its tributaries. Captain Greene died in 1927 at Hyde Park, Cincinnati, and is buried in Newport Cemetery.

Mary Becker Greene (1867–1949) married Gordon C. Greene in 1890 and raised three sons—Captain Chris, Captain Tom, and Henry Wilkins. She learned navigation and earned a pilot and masters license, becoming one of the most noted figures on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers for more than a half century. The “Greene Line” fleet continued to expand with additions of the “Gordon C. Greene” and the “Delta Queen.” Captain Mary Greene served as hostess on these steamboats. She died at the age of 81 on the renowned “Delta Queen,” a National Historic Landmark.

Erected 2007 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, the Longaberger

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Company, J. Mack Gamble Fund, Newport Township Trustees, and the Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 10-84.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1895.

Location. 39° 23.316′ N, 81° 13.869′ W. Marker is in Newport, Ohio, in Washington County. It is on Ohio Route 7 near Greene Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 38090 Ohio 7, Newport OH 45768, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Vaucluse (approx. 0.3 miles away in West Virginia); Batelle Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hi Carpenter Bridge (approx. 1.1 miles away in West Virginia); Pleasants County / State of Ohio (approx. 1.1 miles away in West Virginia); George Washington (approx. 1.2 miles away in West Virginia); Short Route Bridge (Hi Carpenter Bridge) (approx. 1.2 miles away in West Virginia); a different marker also named Hi Carpenter Bridge (approx. 1.2 miles away in West Virginia); Alexander H. Creel (approx. 1.3 miles away in West Virginia).

Also see . . . Mary B and Gordon Greene. “In 1890 Cincinnatian Gordon C Greene

Captain Mary Becker Greene Face of Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 14, 2011

2. Captain Mary Becker Greene Face of Marker

took his new bride Mary Becker Greene, aboard the newly bought H K Bedford. At 149 ft. and built in 1885, it was the first boat in the Greene Line. Mary lived aboard and worked side by side with her husband. And ever after, they were made a home on one of the 28 steamers they were to own and operate. She became a captain two years before she became a mother.” (Submitted on April 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Captains Gordon C. and Mary Becker Greene Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 14, 2011

3. Captains Gordon C. and Mary Becker Greene Marker

The Captain Mary Becker Greene side faces the Ohio River.

Mary Becker Greene and Gordon Christopher Greene image. Click for full size.

(Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons, 1910–1920

4. Mary Becker Greene and Gordon Christopher Greene

The Delta Queen docked at Mud Island, Memphis, Tennessee image. Click for full size.

5. The Delta Queen docked at Mud Island, Memphis, Tennessee

The Ohio River and the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 14, 2011

6. The Ohio River and the Marker

Burial Site of Captain Gordon C. Greene and Mary Becker Greene image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, January 30, 2025

7. Burial Site of Captain Gordon C. Greene and Mary Becker Greene

The site is located in the SW quadrant of Newport Cemetery.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,576 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 7. submitted on February 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.

Captain Gordon C. Greene⎯⎯⎯Captain Mary Becker Greene

Captain Gordon C. Greene
⎯⎯⎯
Captain Mary Becker Greene