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Expert: McDavid Mystery Steamboat Appears To Be From 1800’s
June 21, 2011
We are learning a little more about the possible steamboat pulled from the Escambia River near McDavid over the weekend.
“It does look like a late 1800’s steam launch,” Dr. Della Scott-Ireton, director of the Northwest Region of the Florida Public Archaeology Network said after viewing the photographs on NorthEscambia.com. (Click here for our weekend story.)
She said it appears to have a been a screw-driven vessel, powered by steam, not a paddle-wheel boat, as evidenced by the photos. For a photo gallery from the discovery, click here.
“This appears to be a locally significant find,” she said. “We don’t have preserved examples of these in Florida, but we know they existed from photographs in the state archives.” None of those photographs are of steam launches on the Escambia or other rivers in the area.
Archeologists were make plans Monday to document and preserve the vessel that now sits on a sandbar near a McDavid boat launch. The vessel was discovered and pulled from the river Saturday by a local family — a move Scott-Ireton advises against.
“If you find something, let the experts document it,” she said, adding that removing historical artifacts from Florida’s rivers may be a felony despite good intentions. However, no one is expected to face any charges whatsoever in connection with the McDavid find.
The boat has since been returned to the water awaiting investigation by archeologists.
Pictured top: A hole for a steam-powered screw can been seen in this photo. Pictured inset: Another look at the vessel. (NorthEscambia.com photos.)/ Pictured below: Examples of other steam launches in Florida — the first photo show a typical steam launch in the 1880’s in Tarpon Springs, Florida; the second photo shows the steam launch “Princess” between 1880 and 1890 on Rice Creek near Gainesville. (Courtesy the State Archives of Florida).
Comments
24 Responses to “Expert: McDavid Mystery Steamboat Appears To Be From 1800’s”
Many years ago, my husband and I drove all the way to Uriah to see a dugout canoe someone had rescued from a sandbar on the Tensaw or Alabama. River. They had it on a porch in a trough built to keep it under water so that it would not deterioate. I think some group was gonna come get it, but it was interesting. I love to see old things like that~ it sorta helps bring history to life. No one was threatening them to press charges. I’m glad they went to the trouble to bring it up so others could enjoy seeing it. We use to fish on Escambia all the time, but it’s too dangerous for me with all the debris and where the sand has filled in so much you can’t even go hardly anywhere without hitting something. I just think it’s great!
The archeaologists came out this morning to take a look at the boat. They took measurements, pictures, and are going to look into finding an organization that can possibly keep the boat without it deteriorating. They also have a small piece of the wood to try to get a date on it. Hopefully they can find a place farely close to keep the boat. I just hope that it can be kept in the tri-city area so that we can all enjoy its historic value.
My self I hope they leave the boat that you can see from the bridge. Thats how I stage the river to know if the water is high enough to get into my honey holes and catch them fish that I enjoy so much. Just a thought for all the people that like to stage the river the old fashion way.
@ Jules The boat that the Greenwell family discovered is a amzeing find and I for one am glad I was able to see this piece of history firsthand. I do know that it did not appear magically it has a story behind it for sinking maybe even a hurricane. I was just saying that if this boat is not takeing out of the river it might be rediscovered in years to come and all of this drama will be started up again.
@ just me- How does 5 years compare to 100 years? That boat down from Fishers Landing is somebody’s boat that Hurricane Ivan put there. Whoever it belongs to needs to get their boat. But, by the way all these busy bodies talk we should just leave it there.
So you reckon pulling deadheads out of the river is against the law too? lol They do it TV. Just asking……
dont ,worry about the nay sayers michelle,those people are just a bunch of busy bodies.if yall wouldnt have pulled it out nobody would have ever been able to see it.
Amen! Mz Lee
There is a difference in knowing that you are breaking the law and doing it on purpose. I have watched the comments posted on this story for a week now, some good, some bad. I am the sister, and daughter of the men who are responsible for pulling this boat up. Heck, I am responsible too because I was there and I watched from the sandbar as this amazing piece of history was brought across the river. My kids were excited and so was I. Never in a million years did any of us think that we were doing something that would cause such an uproar! No matter what anyone says, I believe that this is amazing and I am still glad that it was discovered. I was able to show my kids something over 100 years old and that dosen’t happen everyday. My children and I will never forget what we found, and seeing this facinating piece of history, and I hope everyone else gets to also. As far as being a “poster” and thinking its o.k. to break the law as long as you don’t agree with it, well I guess if I were sitting on that boat smoking crack then I would have to agree, but in this situation I do not. As far as setting an example for my children, that is for me to decide and I think teaching them about history is a great example!
Why dont someone salvage the old boat just down stream from fishers boat landing.It can be seen from the jay bridge if you look down river on the santa rosa side.It should have some history to it since it has been there I know for atleast five years.
If I see anything on the bottom of any waterway, I will just keep going, and keep my mouth shut. John Wesley Harding I thought you were dead.
I agree, John W Harding -(any kin to Brown Bowen?)
It amazes me how many posters think it’s okay to break the law as long as you don’t agree with it or you are ignorant of it. This is a dangerous example to set for your children.
Some one who want’s to complain about them removing the the boat from the river is crazy!!! Do you honestly think the state of Florida would have paid the repair bill on their boat if they had hit it and damaged their personal boat just because this may be a historic artifact. If you think this way I got some ocean front property for sale in Arizona also
Some people will fuss about anything! I think it is awesome! I love local history!
I totally agree with Swamp Man. My first thought was that it came down stream somehow from somewhere. It has been lower in that area, and probably could have been seen earlier than this. I run up on something on the river (which anyone who goes to the river normally does) it is not your first thought “OMG, I can’t try to pull this up, or whatever, because it may be from the 1800’s” LOL. Get real.
I agree, if we want to talk about crime’s and felony’s , let’s talk about man’s deliberate pollution of our river’s and stream’s, AND the business of LOGGING
and the ecological destruction THERE. I COULD GO ON AND ON. History
is important, but the future is even more so.
I’m glad this was found and I am glad these families will not be prosecuted
when there was not intent to do harm.
Sometimes common sense does prevail.
We have people in our local Historical Society who remember a paddle wheel in the river in Molino – they boarded it! Thomas Cooper had a steam tug around the 1840’s and moved logs down to Pensacola using it. The river was deeper then and even my grandfather (born in the 1880’s) complained many times how the river had gotten more shallow because of the logging and sediments filling in the river – now the EPA says all of that is nature. Bull!!! It needs dredging now. Many articafts including canoes are in that river. And guns.
i think that the boat is an interesting find but how could anyone have known what the boat was it could of been a homemade fishing boat or anything as far as a crime i have been running the river my whole life and ive never seen a sign or posting that said do not remove old wood boat from water and as far as people saying there could have been other stuff around the boat . alot of people as well as myself knows that high water pushed that boat from up river because ive seen the water lower than that and it hasnt been there
It sure is looking awfully dried out!
Well Alan now we know better, an education to all. I see nothing here but good intentions,
Interesting find and as to a family pulling it up, well it was a mistake and not the best thing to do as it relates to preservation so we can take this as an educational moment and go forward understanding in the future a course of action better suited to such discoveries.
My worthless 2 cents – While I agree the find is awesome and significant, I cannot agree with what the family did. As Dr Scott-Ireton stated, they should have reported the find to the appropriate agency and let them handle it from there. Moving the find could have caused more damage to it as well as disturbing or damaging something else that may have been buried nearby.
I Love to see history like this found and the story behind it would be awesome! Great job to the family’s involved!
This is just pretty darn cool! I love the Escambia River for all of its history and for the fishing and hunting trips it provides for my family and I. For it to produce a significant artifact like this is just down right “nifty”.