South Beach in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Steamboat Point
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 20, 2014
1. Steamboat Point Marker
Inscription.
Steamboat Point. . It was along this shoreline, named Steamboat Point in 1851, and extending from 500 feet west of Third Street to the Foot of Second at Townsend, that the most able shipbuilders of the times built and repaired every type of vessel, from the largest class of “floating palace” riverboats and ferryboats designed to carry railroad cars, down to brigantines and yachts. Shipbuilders, John North, Henry Owens, Patrick Henry Tieman, and H.B. Tichenor made Steamboat Point famous from 1851 to 1868 as the place to haul out vessels on marine railways for caulking, coppering, and below water repairs. At a time when San Francisco depended totally on sea and river lanes for all the necessities and luxuries of life, as well as her communications with the world, the shipwrights of Steamboat Point built and maintained her watercraft at their boatyards and this narrow beach.
It was along this shoreline, named Steamboat Point in 1851, and extending from 500 feet west of Third Street to the Foot of Second at Townsend, that the most able shipbuilders of the times built and repaired every type of vessel, from the largest class of “floating palace” riverboats and ferryboats designed to carry railroad cars, down to brigantines and yachts. Shipbuilders, John North, Henry Owens, Patrick Henry Tieman, and H.B. Tichenor made Steamboat Point famous from 1851 to 1868 as the place to haul out vessels on marine railways for caulking, coppering, and below water repairs. At a time when San Francisco depended totally on sea and river lanes for all the necessities and luxuries of life, as well as her communications with the world, the shipwrights of Steamboat Point built and maintained her watercraft at their boatyards and this narrow beach.
Erected by San Francisco Art Commission for the Waterfront Transportation Projects.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.
Location. 37° 46.687′ N, 122° 23.486′ W.
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Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in South Beach. It is on King Street near 3rd Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 199 King Street, San Francisco CA 94107, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
More about this marker. This marker is embedded in the sidewalk at AT&T Park's Willie Mays Plaza.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 702 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 24, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
