NC Business History - North Carolina Steamboats 1812

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List of Merchant Steamboats in NC (prior to 1850)
The first steamboats or steamships began plying North Carolina's sounds and rivers in 1818. The state's outer banks and difficult river navigation posed significant barriers. A local steamboat construction industry started in Fayetteville, Wilmington and Washington, NC. Additional material will be added to this section. Please provide any information for changes to this list to Ron Vinson.

The steamboat transportation industry in North Carolina was much larger than previous reports. We have identified about 100 (at present) steamers plying North Carolina rivers, canals and sounds prior to 1861, with an additional 100 such boats (excluding steamer flats and tugs) built and operating between 1861 and 1899. These lists are expected to grow. This comprehensive listing does not contain the occasional ocean-going steamship 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. Note: There were many lighters — large flat-bottomed barges — that are not included in this list, as these vessels were not considered "Steam Boats" by contemporary sources. Links are provided to some steamers to provide additional information and drawings/photos, where available. More information on specific steamers is constantly being added. Steamers in North Carolina from 1812 to 1849 (click link) are contained in this list. Steamers in North Carolina from 1850 to 1860 (click link) are contained in this list. Steamers in North Carolina from 1861 to 1880 (click link) are contained in this list. Steamers in North Carolina from 1881 to 1899 (click link) are contained in this list. 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
1812	Sea Horse	P	71	Elizabeth, NJ	Perth Amboy, NJ	Roanoke 1818 only	Abandoned 1823
1818	Albemarle (I)	P	80	New York, NY	Edenton, NC	Albemarle Sound 1819-1821	Lost 1825
1818	Norfolk	P	222	Norfolk, VA	Norfolk, VA	Newbern 4-17-1818; Neuse River	Stopped NC run 1818; Abandoned 1840
1818	Henrietta	P	152	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear 4-30-1818 launched; first trip in July probably	Abandoned 1858
1818	Prometheus	W		Swansboro, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear 1818 from Wilmington to Beaufort	1825
1819	North Carolina (I)	P	115	Fayetteville, NC	Georgetown, SC	Cape Fear	Sunk in late 1823; raised and operated from 1824 on; abandoned 1829
1819	Petersburg	P	142	New York, NY	Petersburg, VA	Roanoke 1829; Albemarle Sound 1830 Tar (after 1836)	After 1836
1825	Codorus (first iron steamboat built in U.S.)	U	14	York, PA	Baltimore, MD	Clubfoot & Harlowe Canal 1829; Newbern - Beaufort 1830+	Abandoned 183?
1826	Cotton Plant (I)	P	119	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington to Fayetteville (1826 - 1827), then Wilmington to Southport (then called Smithville)	Ceased operations by 1837
1828	Enterprise	P		Wilmington, NC	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington & Fayetteville
1829	Wilmington (I)	P	229	Philadelphia, PA	Wilmington, DE	Cape Fear (mid-1830s)	Lost 1838
1830	North Carolina (II)	P	70	Norfolk, VA	Norfolk, VA	Roanoke	Burned 1831
1830	Lady of the Lake	W		Portsmouth, VA	Portsmouth	Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabeth City
1830	John Stoney	P	155	New York, NY	New York, NY	Pamlico, Croatan & Albemarle Sounds Sept. 1833	Abandoned 1840
1830	Maryland	P	50	Philadelphia, PA	Philadelphia, PA	Roanoke Aug. 1833 on; between Halifax - Blakely	Abandoned 1840
1831	John Walker	P		Wilmington, NC	Fayetteville, NC	Cape Fear	Boiler Exploded June 1836 below Wilmington
1832	Walter Raleigh	P	157	Norfolk, VA	Norfolk, VA	Roanoke; Elizabeh City to Charleston	burned August 1834; Lost 1845
1833	Clarendon	P	140	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear 1833-38	Moved to Savannah River in 1839, burned at moorings 1839
1835	Duncan McRae⁴	P	215	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear 1835	Lost 1841
1835	Edmund D. McNair	P	71	Washington, NC	Washington, NC	Neuse & Tar 1836; Cape Fear 1837	Lost 1841 on Tar River
1835	Roanoke	P	66	Philadelphia, PA	Plymouth, NC	Roanoke	Abandoned 1840
1836	Boston	P	248	New York, NY	Albany, NY	Wilmington - Charleston, SC May 1837	Confederate control 1861
1837	Cotton Plant (II)	P		Wilmington, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Sank in 1847
1837	Cape Fear (I)						Abandoned 1895
1837	North Carolina (III)	P	370	New York, NY	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington to Charleston SC Dec. 1837	Lost in collision 1840
1837	C. Vanderbilt	P	346	New York, NY	New York, NY	Wilmington to Charleston SC Dec. 1838	Confederate control 1861
1838	Governor Dudley (renamed Catawba 5/8/57)	P	408	New York, NY	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington to Charleston SC 1838	Sold to foreign owners 1860
1839	Wilmington (II)	P	405	Baltimore, MD	Baltimore, MD	Wilmington to Charleston SC Sept. 1839	Sold to foreign owners 1854
1840	Charles Downing¹⁴ (renamed Calhoun 7/26/49)	P	112	St. Augustine, FL	St. Augustine, FL	Cape Fear	Burned 6/22/55 at Wilmington, NC
1840	Astoria	P	102	New York, NY	New York, NY	Sounds 1853 (Washington to Beaufort)	Abandoned 1865
1841	Gladiator	P	379	New York, NY	New York, NY	Wilmington to Charleston SC	Lost 1860
1841	Utility	P	166	Wilmington, NC	Wilmington, NC		Abandoned 1850
1842	Fayetteville or City of Fayetteville	P	400 est.	Fayetteville, NC	Fayetteville, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned about 1852
1842<	Rough & Ready					Neuse 1848
1843<	Wayne	W		Hartford, CT		Neuse & Trent Dec. 1843 - 48	Burned March 1848 at its dock
1844 ?	Albemarle (II)	S	88	New York, NY	Norfolk, VA		Abandoned 1856
1844	Quinebaug	S	186	Norwich, CT	New London, CT		Stranded 7/20/1865 Morehead City, NC
1844	William B. Meares¹⁶	converted to steam 1851	199	Fayetteville, NC	Fayetteville, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned 1859
1846	Evergreen⁵	P	160	Fayetteville, NC	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned 1857
1846	Johnston	P	45	Springfield, MA	New Bern, NC	Neuse	Abandoned 1862
1846	Rowan¹⁰	P - W conflict- ing reports	172	Smithville, NC* other reports say Fayetteville	Wilmington, NC	Cape Fear	Abandoned 1858 (burned between Wilmington & Fayetteville)
1846	Oregon (Colonel Hill)	P	68	Baltimore, MD	Balitmore, MD	Tar 1848-	Confederate control 1861, Burned July 20, 1863 Tarboro by Union trrops
1846	R. F. Loper	P	81	Wilmington, DE	Philadelphia, PA	Dismal Swamp	Abandoned 1850
1847	Governor Graham	P	115	Hartford, CT	Middletown, CT	Cape Fear 1848	Abandoned 1858
1847	Secretary Marcy	S	153	Philadelphia, PA	Mobile, AL		Stranded 3/7/1851 Cape Lookout, NC
1847	Post Boy	P	133	Jersey City, NJ	New York, NY	Sounds (intracoastal trade Washington, Hyde Co. and Beaufort	Sold in 1857 to the Hyde Co. Steamboat Joint Stock Co.; ran until 1861, unknown
1849?	Edgecomb(e)					Tar
1849	Amidas	W	35	Hartford, CT	Washington, NC	Tar Oct. 1849	Confederate control 1861

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)
1 CSS Beaufort; USS Beaufort 3/1865; re-documented Roanoke 10/31/65; rig changed to barge 12/2/1878
2 Destroyed by US forces as Confederate steamer
3 Captured 12/16/1863; re-documented 5/22/1866
4 Also documented as the Duncan
5 First documented 7/26/1849
6 Renamed Rockledge 9/7/1886
7 Also known as Kahuha and/or Kakakee
8 Captured as Confederate steamer (documented 10/8/1866)
9 Renamed CSS Mariner; Captured as Confederate blockade runner 1862
10 First documented 12/19/1853
11 Possibly sunk as blockade runner 10/16/1863 in Hillsborough River (FL?)
12 Captured as Confederate steamer Hamilton, NC 7/9/1862; USQMD 7/22/1862
14 first documented 2/25/42; renamed Calhoun 7/26/1849
15 burnt, rebuilt and renamed C.W. Lyons, which burnt, rebuilt and returned to former name
16 built as 199-ton schooner (1843/44), then converted to steam (registered as steamer in 1851)
* now called Southport

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