Downtown Louisville on Monday morning, the hundred-year old steamboat, Belle of Louisville is all lit up. Eric Suddeth photo 010421.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged steamboat on January 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged steamboat, Sultana on September 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The sidewheeler steamboat, Sultana, was built in 1863. Despite having boiler problems, she was carrying 2200 people, mostly Union soldiers. On April 27 1865, in the dark, she was on the Mississippi River 7 miles north of Memphis when the boilers exploded. About 1200 men died from drowning, explosion, hypothermia—estimates of the dead vary widely. 969 survived, making it the worst American maritime disaster. Like nowadays, all sorts of conspiracy theories abound, but the Captain had been advised not to travel without a boiler repair.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged riverboat, steamboat on September 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Wooten River Service has a Jeffersonville, Indiana mailing address. If you want to drive or park there, you will be in Indiana. But the Ohio River is in Kentucky, so the boat and wharf are in Kentucky. They service riverboats–towboats with their tows and even a few paddle-wheel steamers. Eric Suddeth photos.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Belle of Louisville, Charles Suddeth, festival, steamboat on October 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Celebrate America’s rich Southern heritage with a cruise on the mighty Ohio River during Louisville’s Centennial Festival of Riverboats. In October 2014, a fleet of historic riverboats will provide the backdrop as Louisville plays host to a six-day festival of food, bourbon, music and art at the internationally-acclaimed Waterfront Park. Enjoy live music, sample the finest spirits in the world and experience history, first-hand, as we celebrate The Belle’s Big Birthday Bash and enjoy all that life on the river has to offer.
We celebrate the first 100 years of Belle of Louisville, the Legendary Lady of the river. She is the oldest operating Mississippi-style steamboat in the world and is also recognized as a National Historic Landmark.