North  
   Carolina
   Business 
   Hall of  
   Fame

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

 

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

  Industries     Laureates     Contact Us     Home     Support   
2005 Copyright. CommunicationSolutions/ISI for web site & content.
Junior Achievement of the Carolinas, Inc.
is the sole owner of the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame