I have reviewed eight volumes of Certificates of Enrollment record group 41 from the Customhouse at the port of Pittsburgh. The volumes 6633-6640 contain enrollment records from 4 Jan 1850 to 31 Dec 1857. The enrollment records include documentation for all vessels greater than twenty tons. In these volumes the vessels types have included steamboats both side and stern wheel, keel boats, canal boats, flatboats, and barges.
Sandy and Beaver Canal Postcard (Spread Eagle Tavern Website)
My Georgetown men built and operated steamboats and keel boats. I have not found any evidence that they operated canal boats even though the Sandy and Beaver Canal connecting the Ohio River to Lake Erie followed the Little Beaver Creek which emptied into the Ohio opposite Georgetown. The canal ceased operations in 1852.
No flatboats have been registered to Georgetown men. Although I was again surprised to find an entry for a keel boat in 1857. That boat, SR Smith, was built by George and Henry Laughlin. It was rated at 68 85/95 tons and its dimensions were: 118′x22′x2’10″. As I review earlier volumes, I will no doubt find more keel boats registered by Georgetown men.
A page listing the Georgetown Keel Boats has been loaded for your review.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: george laughlin, georgetown, henry laughlin, keel boat, national archives