Here the ferry boat "Trimble" lands at the Milton docks. You can see Madison in the background. The large building in the middle of the picture seen in the distance is the Eagle Cotton Mills.
The Heritage Center grounds contain the restored Madison Railroad Station, a brick Victorian-era passenger depot noted for its octagonal waiting room which is over two stories tall. Built in 1895 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it served travellers...
Railroad stations; Train depots; Buses; Madison Depot; Madison; Railroads
"In 1893 the railroad bought the whole block on First Street from Vine to Mill and and bought the depot." The Victorian style building was built in 1895. On the property had stood a fine old home which had to be taken down to make way for the...
Railroad cuts; Inclined railroads; Railroads; Madison
This view of the incline was taken in about 1900. Notice the young boy sitting on a log alongside the tracks. Perhaps he is waiting to see the train go by or just resting before going on his way.
Built in 1902 in Dubuque, Iowa, she was the largest towboat ever built. Her early beginnings, however, were rocky. On her maiden voyage she collided with a showboat and only a year later had to have her engines replaced. It was difficult for...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Stern wheelers; Greene Line; Madison-Milton Bridge; Ohio River
Built in 1925, this was the second "Chris Greene" of the Greene Line. One can see the Madison-Milton Bridge in the background on the left hand side; it was built in 1928. The first "Chris Greene" was lost in the great fire at Cincinnati in...
The "Belle of the Bends" was built in 1898 and in 1909 she sank and was raised for the first time. A year later she again went under and was raised. She ran as an excursion boat in New Orleans in 1910 and 1911. Soon after she was overhauled and...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Excursion boats; "Belle of Louisville"; "Avalon"; Ferries; USO clubs; Rose Island
Built in 1914 this boat went by the name Idlewild from that date to 1947. She then became the Avalon from 1947 to 1962 when she was dubbed "Belle of Louisville". She is a shallow draft boat which enables her to glide over water that would not be...
The "Washington" is shown docked at Madison, Indiana, just above the Trow Flour Mill. On its sign you can see part of the word 'Perfection'. Perfection flour was shipped all over the country, and to other countries, by boat and rail. The mill...
Shown in this picture are Sylvester "Darby" Davis and his wife, Bertha Mae. The river was their home and they loved it and the boats that floated by their front door. Darby and Mae lived in a shanty boat and they were as much a part of Madison,...
Robert Fulton was one of the early inventors and entrepreneurs of steamboats. For a detailed article about Robert Fulton, see our webpage at www.rivertorail.mjcpl.org/.
Lumber; Boat & ship industry; Mules; "G. W. McBride"; Madison
The information given by the photographer says, "145' timbers shipped on 3 flat cars from the state of Washington to build steamboat "G.W. McBride" at the Marine Ways in Madison". The location of the picture is behind the freight station on Vaughn...
If the "Delta Queen" was the swan of the Ohio, then the "Kentucky" was the Little Mud Hen. According to Way's Packet Directory, "the cabin was shifted out of plumb and leaned in a uniform stagger creating an optical illusion seen nowhere else...
Horses; W. H. Rogers; John Louis Spicer; Railroad freight cars
A horse and dray are used to pick up a load of paint for W. H. Rogers of Madison, Indiana. You can see the name on the side of the box car. There was no middleman here. The paint was loaded at the paint factory and delivered directly to Madison...
Steamboats; Riverboats; "City of Madison"; Dikes (Engineering)
Built in Madison in 1882, the boat was the second "City of Madison," the first having been lost in a devastating explosion during the Civil War. On June 18, 1894, she was returning from a trip to Memphis, with a stop-over in Owensboro, Kentucky,...
Rivers; Waterfronts; Horses; Mules; Steamboats; Riverboats; Mail steamers; Passengers
This river scene depicts great activity along the levee in any typical river town. The "Columbia" is either loading or unloading her passengers. The horse-drawn carts near the gangplank were probably used to convey passengers to and from the boat....
