NC Business Hall of Fame - NC Steamboats 1861

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List of Merchant Steamboats in NC (1861 to 1899)
The first steamboats or steamships began plying North Carolina's sounds and rivers in 1818 (see steamboat list prior to 1861). The state's outer banks and difficult river navigation posed significant barriers. A local steamboat construction industry started in Fayetteville, Wilmington and Washington. Additional material will be added to this section this fall. Please provide any information for changes to this list to Ron Vinson.

Junior Achievement

The steamboat transportation industry was much larger than previous reports. We have identified nearly 100 (at present) merchant steamers plying North Carolina rivers, canals and sounds prior to 1861, with an additional 84 such boats (excluding steamer flats and tugs) built and operating between 1861 and 1899. The list is expected to grow. This comprehensive listing does not contain the occasional ocean-going steam ship that once or only a few times on an irregular basis stopped at Wilmington or Smithville (now Southport) or other NC seaports. The intent is to list cargo and passenger steamers, not tugs. Links are provided to some steamers to provide additional information and drawings/photos where available. More links will be provided in the future, so check back. Listing of Steamboats (Cargo and/or Passenger) on NC rivers and sounds (does not include tugs) Wheel types - P (sidewheel); W (stern or center); S (screw drive); Service - f (ferry)
Year Built	Name of Vessel	Wheel Type	Tons	Built In	First Home Port	NC River/Sound Routes/Dates	Final Disposition
1861	North Carolina (VII)	S	618	New York, NY	New York, NY	Ocean going from Wilmington	renamed Annie Childs 1861 blockade runner; renamed Julia Usher 1862; captured as Confederate steamer Victory 6-21-1863; USS Queen 8-15-1863; redocumented Gulf Stream 9-29-1865; Loss 1903
1861	Waccamaw (originally built as Nuestra Senora de Regia) renamed 11-25-65	P	376	Brooklyn, NY	New York, NY (originally built as a Ferry for Havanna; captured as blockcade runner)	Wilmington to Carolina Beach July 1876	Lost 1885
1863	Rebecca Clyde	S	446	Chester, PA	Philadelphia, PA		Stranded Portsmouth, NC
1864	Croatan¹³	S	28	Chester, PA	Erie, PA		Burnt 10/17/1929 Pasquotank River, NC
1864	Minquas	P	160	Wilmington, DE	Philadelphia, PA		Burnt 4/7/1865 Neuse River, NC
1865	Bettie	P	117	New Bern, NC	New Bern, NC	Little River	Abandoned 1869
1865	Washington	S	472	Chester, PA	Philadelphia, PA		Burnt 10/14/1870 Cape Fear River, NC
1865	Wave	S	80	Philadelphia, PA	New York, NY	Cape Fear	Abandoned 1898
1865?	D. Murchison (I)		120		Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned by 1895
1866	Governor Worth⁶	P	165	Wilmington, DE	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Sank 1881, raised; sold in 1886 to Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West RR; Abandoned 1913
1866	Mystic	S	87	New Bern, NC	New Bern, NC		Abandoned 1887
1865+	Juniper	W		Fayetteville, NC
1866	R.M. Orrell	P	35	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC		Abandoned 1871
1866	W. T. DeForest	S	19	Unknown	New Bern, NC		Abandoned 1868
1867	Halcyon	P	92	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC		Abandoned 1877
1867	Marion	P W?	176	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned 1872
1867	North Carolina	S	50	Camden, SC	Plymouth, NC		Abandoned 1880
1867	C.M. Gary					Cape Fear
1867?	Ida C. Potter	S	16	Unknown	Wilmington, NC		Abandoned 1868
1867?	Cumberland	P W?		Fayetteville, NC		Cape Fear
1869?	Bailey					Cape Fear
1869	Olive	S				Chowan River, Washington, NC and Norfolk (1905-)	Sank in 1903 on Chowan River; later rebuilt and operated until 1929
1870	Kalula			Hertford, NC	Hertford, NC	Plymouth to Hertford	Abandoned 1875
1870s	Robert E. Lee			Fayetteville, NC		Cape Fear	Exploded at Thomas Shoals 14 miles below Fayetteville
1870	Little Sam				Point Caswell, NC	Black River
1873	Bertie			Hertford, NC
1873	Ella					Franklin, VA to Plymouth, NC
1874	Pitt	P		Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River
1874	North East					Tar River (1874) & Black River (1875- )	Burned in 1879
1874	Lota					Chowan River	at least past 1886
1875	Little Adrian	W	50			Black River
1875	Chowan renamed in 1889 Nanticoke					Chowan River	sold in 1889 and renamed Nanticoke, worked in Albemarle Sound
1879?	Isis	W		NC (BlkRivSBoat)	NC	Black River; 1879 on Cape Fear
1879	R.L. Myers (1)			Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River	Lost prior to 1885
1879	Greenville			Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River
1879?	Clinton	W				Northeast & Black Rivers	Sank 1881
1880	Tarboro			Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River
1880	John Dawson (II)	W		Point Caswell, NC		Black River; on Cape Fear in 1882	Burnt 1885 on Black River, Maultsby's Point
1880	Northampton	P
1880s	Hall					Black River
1880s	Magruder					Black River
1881	Mountain Lily	P		French Broad		French Broad River	Abandoned 188#
1882	Lisbon (I)	W	35	Point Caswell, NC		Black River	Damaged ice 1893; abandoned 1897
1882	Saugerties	P		NC		New Bern & Elizabeth City	Burned in 1903 in New York
1882	Wilmington			Wilmington, DE		Wilmington to Southport (1891 - )	Sold overseas, still was operating in 1977
1883	Beauford			Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River
1883	Margie				Washington, NC	Tar River
1883	Bladen		100	NC		Cape Fear	Burnt 1885, rebuilt; burnt 1886
1884	Excelsior	S	45	NC		Cape Fear; on Black River 1885	Burned April 1885, rebuilt
1885	R.L. Myers (II)			Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Tar River
1885	Delta	W		NC		Northeast & Black Rivers	Boiler exploded 1887, rebuilt; served after 1889, unknown disposition
1886	J.C. Stewart			built for SC company	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear
1886	Susie					Black River	Burned 1887 at Point Caswell
1887	Passport					Wilmington to Southport
1887	Sylvan Grove					Wilmington to Carolina Beach	Burned 1890/1891
1887	Cape Fear (II)					Cape Fear	Wrecked 1895
1888?	Lucy					Chowan River
1888	S. A. McCall					Cashie River
1889?	Cashwell	P	100
1889	Pierrepont					Cashie River to Norfolk through Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal
1890	Maggie				Clear Run, NC	Black River	Sold to SC co. 1892
1892	C.F.D.					Town Creek
1894	Frank Sessoms		75	Wilmington, NC	Point Caswell, NC	Black River	operated after 1900
1895	Killam				Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear
1895	D. Murchison (II)	W		Fayetteville, NC		Cape Fear
1895	E. A. Hawkes			Point Caswell, NC		Black River	operating after 1905
1897	Lisbon (II)	W	50	Point Caswell, NC		Black & Cape Fear	Sank after 1900 Point Caswell, NC
1899	A.J. Johnson	W	57	Clear Run, NC	Clear Run, NC	Black River	1914
	Alma					Tar River	Withdrawn from service 1899
	W.T. Daggett	W	35			Black River	Ran after 1901
	William Nye					Cape Fear	Burned 1884
	Seabright						Sank off Bald Head 1901
	Saint Peter					Northeast River
	Commerce		188				Burned 12/7/1883 at Wilmington
	Rotary		127				Burned 12/31/1882 at Edenton
	Howard
	Reindeer			Norfolk, VA		Cape Fear
1880s	Plymouth					Edenton - Plymouth
1880s	Ranger					Roanoke River	Sank 1898 in Roanoke River
1880s	M. E. Roberts					Scuppernong & Chowan Rivers & Edenton
1880s	M. E. Dickerman					Elizabeth City and sounds
1880s	Eaglet					New Bern & Washington-Kinston, etc.
1880s	Vesper					New Bern & Neuse River, etc.
1880s	Annie					New Bern & Trent River, Tar, etc.

Source: Ron Vinson, CSI/ISI; newspaper reports, federal registration, etc.
Note: Pioneering research on U.S. steamers was conducted by William M. Lytle, Forrest R. Holdcamper, C. Bradford Mitchell , Roy F. Johnson and others.

Wheel types - P (sidewheel); W (stern or center); S (screw drive); Service - f (ferry)
13 Renamed Wenonah, 7/16/1917
16 built as 199-ton schooner (1843/44), then converted to steam (registered as steamer in 1851)
* now called Southport

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