An article in the The Beaver Valley Times dated 14 Oct 2007 described the two Ohio River  islands near Georgetown: Phillis Island and Georgetown Island.  The size of both islands changed dramatically over the years.  Georgetown Island 25 acres at one time is now 4 acres.  Phillis Island from 108 acres to 20 acres.  The rate of change is approx the same.

Both islands were inhabited and farmed until the end of WW II.  Although the article suggested that the decrease in size was due to dredging, it was more likely caused by the increase in water level with The Canalization of the Ohio River.  Lock #7 was build in 1913 and the New Cumberland dam was opened in the 1950′s.  The water level increased enough to cover the sandy beaches in front of Georgetown and the Indian Rocks across the river.

Dravo Corp sold the islands to The Nature Conservancy in 1989 for $5.  The Nature Conservancy sold the islands to the federal government for $82,500 in 1991.  If my home had appreciated equally, I would today be a multi-billionaire.

Georgetown Islands part 1 (Anna L and John F Nash Collection)

Georgetown Islands part 2 (Anna L and John F Nash Collection)

Copyright © 2020 Francis W Nash  All Rights Reserved
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Navy LST ca 1943-6 (Anna and John Nash Collection)

This  photo was taken in Georgetown from the high riverbank near the steps leading to the ferry landing now long gone.  The image is a 2×3 print ca 19400.  The vessel was probably a Navy LST (Landing Ship Tank) built by Dravo at Neville Island during WW II.  River pilots who were enlisted into the Coast Guard, referred to as “The Catfish Navy”, drove the vessels south.

Over 1K LST’s were built between 1943-1946 at various boatyards along the Ohio River.  American Bridge also built the vessels..  Some claim the LSTs won WW II.

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All Rights Reserved

No part of this website may be reproduced without permission in writing from the author.

Lock No 7 at Mile 36.5 below Pittsburgh is identified as Midland, PA, although it is nearby Georgetown.  The lock master’s residence is on the south bank approximately 2.5 miles from Georgetown.  There is only one access road from Georgetown to the facility, appropriately named The Dam Road.

In 1913, a year of serious flooding on the Ohio River at Easter, Lock No 7 was under construction.  When the Montgomery Dam was opened in 1959 Lock No 7 ceased  operations.

Lock No 7 Construction in 1913 (F Nash Collection)

The photo of the construction of the dam has 1913 written on  its reverse.

Copyright © 2020 Francis W Nash  All Rights Reserved

No part of this website may be reproduced without permission in writing from the author.

Pittsburgh Daily Post 3 Jun 1857, Wed · Page 3.

The Steamboat Act of 1852 required that pilots and engineers pass a knowledge-based test before a license was granted.  The license was valid for twelve months.  Pilot, the prince of the river, training required years of apprenticeship.  Pilots were the most skilled and so best compensated of the steamboat officers.  As a cub pilot, a trainee had to learn the name of every town, point, bend, island, sandbar, snag, and wreck on the river.  There was no external aid to navigation; it was all in their brain.  The pilot was the flesh and blood GPS without whom a tall stack packet could not move.  Not all captains were qualified pilots, and not all pilots aspired to be captains.  Even when serving a captain who himself was a qualified pilot, the pilot at the wheel reigned supreme during his allotted watch.  The actual navigation of the boat was the responsibility of the pilot on duty.  His word was law before which everyone bowed.  A pilot’s chief indulgence was hero worship.  Their heroes were those of their own profession who had undertaken the most thrilling adventures.

On 3 Jun 1857, the successful and not so successful candidates licensed by the local inspectors in the month of May were named in the Pittsburgh Daily Post.  The number  of pilots licensed was eleven.   A close looks at the pilots included Geo W Ebert (my double great grandfather), Geo W Poe ( brother of Jacob and Thomas), Jonathan Kinsey (often clerk on many Poe family boats), Jno N Lyons (son of Samuel Lyons who wasan engineer on many Poe family boats), and John S McMillen.  Five of the eleven licensed pilots were residents of Georgetown.  Two pilot license applications were refused for “want of knowledge”.

Nineteen pilot licenses were awarded and twenty-one refused   None of named candidates were residents of Georgetown.

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No part of this website may be reproduced without permission in writing from the author.