Click Here to Return to Milestones
The first boat ever built in this county for navigation of the rivers between Pittsburgh and the lower coast, was built by Amassa Brown, about the beginning of the present century, near the mouth of the Beaver River. The builder of this boat came to Beaver County from Utica, New York.
Captain Perry Brown, as he was widely known, became a ship's carenter at a very early age, and built keelboats, canal boats, and later steamboats, several of which he owned and commanded; namely:
The JOHN STRADER, The COMMODORE PERRY, The PARTHENIA. and The HARD TIMES. With the last named boat, he scored his great success and retired from active business in 1866, with a handsome competence and located at Rochester, PA.
Francis Maratta. He was born in 1819 in Allegheny County. His father's name was James Maratta and his mother's name was Elizabeth W. Walker. They came to Bolesville when he was a very small boy. At thirteen years of age, he went to work on the river as a cabin boy. He was also employed on a keel boat from here to Pittsburgh, belonging to William Reno and William Eakin. He was afterward employed on a canal boat, of which Jesse Moore, a brother of Samuel Moore, was captain. Captain Maratta built eleven boats, the first boat --
1. The Paris - built in Freedom
2. Forest Rose - built in California, PA
3. Princess - build in Freedom
4. Forest Rose No. 2 - built in Freedom
5. Belle of Texas - built in Brownsville
6. Sunny Side - built in Brownsville
7. Champion - built in Freedom
8. Henry A Jones - built in Freedom
9. Mansfield (bought her and finished her after she
came to the wharf at Freedom from Pittsburgh)
Owned, but did not say where built the MODERATOR
He was on the river about Cincinnati during the war (Civil).
Captain Joseph GrahanL (after Civil War) returning home engaged on the towboats --
1. Coal Bluff
2. Monitor
3. Venture
4. Veteran - afterwards rebuilt and called The Iron Cliff
5. George Shiras
6. Mark Winnett
Retired because of illness; recovering ran the Mary C. Campbell ferry until bridge crossed the Ohio.
LIST OF STEAMBOATS BUILT BY PHILLIPS AND GRAHAM (SOUTHSIDE)
Pennsylvania Rambler Eclipse President La Fayette General Brown Wm. Penn Antelope Bolivar Gen. Wayne Liberator Paul Jones Eleanor Peruvian Louisville Frankfort Boston Mohawk Pocahontas America Florida Columbus Echo Carrolton Essex La Grange Pgh. & Whg. Missouri and Packet Barge Red Rover Cora New Jersey Hermit BY GRAHAM AND ROGERS (SOUTHSIDE) Potomac Talma Phoenix Huron BY JOHN GRAHAM AT BRIDGEWATER Fallston Itaska Rodney BUILT BY PHILLIPS AND BETZ AT FREEDOM, PA Fame Return Boonslick Majestic Potosi Ivanhoe Siam Detroit United States Oceana Selma Alton Palmyra Boonsville St. Louis Ariel H. L Kinney Platte Troy Burlington Wm. Robinson Rhine Shawnee Meteor Chester Orinoco Rosela Frances Rienzi Pirate Missourian Wm. Penn Galenian New Castle Mogul St Charles Dubuque Madison Louisville BY JOHNTHAN BETZ FREEDOM General Pratt Euphrase BY CHARLES GRAHAM Cleveland Amelia BUILT BY A. & G. W. COFFIN AT FREEDOM Little Stewart Guide (ferry-boat) Iron City Atlas Birmingham St. Louis Medium BUILT BY JOHN GRAHAM AND G. W. ROGERS Belfast Hibernian Falcon White Wing Little Rock Wabash Valley R Kinney Oregon Monongahela May Duke Valley Whiteville Chareton Dart Desmoines Platte Sligo (Built at Narragensett John Neptune McDonald's) Omego Iatan Adelaide Brilliant Pawnee Osceola BUILT BY FREEDOM BOAT BUILDING SOCIETY Lake Erie Laura Pacific Gladiator Steam Ferry Gondolier Boat for Schooner, Regina Steubenville Hill of New York Schooner,Cyrus Chamberlain Miner of New Haven Belle of Illinois Nashville BUILT BY BAKER, HALL& CO. AT FREEDOM North Carolina Pink America Pilot Arcadia Despatch BUILT NEAR SHARON, PA The Rose of Ruhama Sharon by Twins by J. Hall G. W. Rogers INDUSTRY
Pekin - Hart & Co. Pickaway - Eakin & Co. Palo Alto - Eakin & Co. New Boat for McLean Mingo Chief by R. Moffett, G. W. Rogers, foreman Rhode Island by McFall, Thomas Rogers, foreman America by McFall, Thomas Rogers, foreman New Boat for Poe, by McFall, Thomas Rogers, foreman Financier for Todd, by McFall, Thomas Rogers, foreman New Castle for Pollock, by Joseph Hall
Alfred McFall also had a large boatyard of which George Baker
was the foreman. There was laid the keel of the Silver Wave, which
was built for Captain John McMillen, and was the first steamboat
to run the blockade at Vicksburg, Another steamboat built here
was the Yorktown, built for Captain Jacob Poe at Georgetown.
NAMES OF OTHER STEAMBOATS BUILT IN BEAVER COUNTY Gladiator Jane Franklin Governor Meigs Wincester Major Darian Monticello John Simonds Washington City W. T. Yeatman Argyle Crystal Palace Magnolia Time and Tide San Antonia Convoy Endeavor Fairfield Ranchero Jacob Poe Iowa Equator Huron Obion Bedford
