stern paddle wheel steam ship

A reader from Indiana recently came across a turn of the 20^th century stern paddle wheel steam ship named Glenmore. He wondered if the original owners or builders may have been natives of Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny.

The Glenmore was built in 1897 in Jeffersonville, Indiana by the Howard shipyard. Jeffersonville, Indiana is on the Ohio river near Paducah, Kentucky. The Howard shipyard was founded by James Howard in 1834. The company was owned by the Howard family until shortly before World War II. After the war, it became known as the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company and later it became Jeffboat. The company was the largest inland shipbuilder in the United States and the second-largest builder of river barges in the United States before it closed in 2018.

Built as a packet ship, the Glenmore was originally named the John W. Thomas and she plied the Ohio river carrying mail, passengers and freight between Evansville, Indiana and Paducah, Kentucky for the Louisville and Evansville Packet Co . At some point the John W. Thomas was renamed Glenmore (according to the University of Wisconsin virtual library), and she was named after a popular bourbon. The Glenmore Distillery Company was established by two men named Thompson in 1901 at Owensboro, Kentucky.

In May 1908 the Glenmore was at Paducah, Kentucky and put up for sale.  The Messenger-Inquirer of Owensboro, Kentucky reported on 15 May 1908 that Captain George Block, of St. Louis was in Louisville to inspect the 500 ton Glenmore for purchase. On 23 May 1908 the Kansas City Star reported that the Glenmore was sold to Philip McCrory and Booth Baugham who were to bring the ship to Kansas City, Missouri where it would be refitted and operated as an excursion or party boat on the Missouri River.  The Glenmore was described as being 160 feet in length with a 26.5 foot beam.  She was due to arrive within two weeks and she could carry up to 1,000 persons.

Newspapers of the era in river towns and cities carried commentary concerning her progress up the Mississippi on way to her new home port of Kansas, City. The Kansas City Star of 17 July 1908 reported that the Glenmore left the foot of Main St. carrying a number of important local figures and various civic groups to inspect local flood damage. The Baughham and Pryor Excursions were very popular in 1908. Beer and other liquid refreshments were sold 7 days a week, 7 kinds of gambling were allowed and there was a very popular dance hall on board (Kansas City Star, 3 April 1909). Missouri traditionally did not allow gambling nor did it allow the purchase of alcoholic beverages on Sunday. At St. Louis, and other major centres of population in Missouri, race tracks and other gambling establishments were built in nearby states such as Illinois. It is assumed that the State of Kansas may have also catered for residents in Kansas City, Missouri to engage in drinking and gambling in Kansas. Thus the Glenmore could legally provide gambling and drinking when it operated on the Kansas side of the Missouri river.

In November 1908 it was widely reported that John J. Pryor, one of the Glenmore owners, and an ex-saloon keeper, was charged with operating gambling devices on the Glenmore. John J Pryor, was a colourful character, who was charged with murder in 1907 and his trial collapsed. (Kansas City Star, 7 November 1908). It is assumed that he was charged because he operated the devices within the jurisdiction of the State of Missouri or on the Missouri side of the river. The Glenmore operated for one season as an excursion or party boat on the Missouri River. When the Glenmore was being put up for the winter it was discovered that her hull was unsafe. No newspaper accounts report whether she was purchased in a poor state or whether her excursions on the flooded Missouri may have damaged her hull. She was taken to Harlem, Missouri where $5,000 was spent fitting her with a new hull. She was placed on cribbing and in early March 1909 just as the work on her new hull was being finished high flood water swept away her cribbing. She fell into 12 feet of water stern first. Her boilers fell into her hold causing her upper works to collapse (St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 12 March 1909).

Although it was originally hoped that she might be raised and saved, it soon became apparent that the damage was too extensive. Her estimated value at the time she sank in 1909 was $19,000 (University of Wisconsin, Digital Library, “Glenmore (Packet, 1905-1909)”). Undaunted the newspapers soon carried reports that the Glenmore owners had purchased the Uncle Sam to replace the Glenmore.

No links could be discovered between the builders or owners of the steamer, Glenmore or the owners of the Glenmore Distillery in Kentucky and Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. However, we do know that one of Danny’s great-great uncles, Nicholas Murphy, resided near Kansas City, Kansas in the early 1900’s. Did Nicholas Murphy ever see the Glenmore or take an excursion on her in 1908? We shall never know, but we might ponder what a man who had not seen his native parish of Glenmore for over 50 years may have thought if he saw the Glenmore ship. Thanks John for bringing the steamer Glenmore to our attention.

The featured broadside photo of Steamer Glenmore, Ohio River, photo taken at Madison, Indiana by Flora, Hubert M, (1904) Glenmore. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16998coll28/id/10781.

The photo of the docked Glenmore Riverboat was taken about (1904) at Tell, Indiana. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16998coll28/id/10782. Original in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh