Rare in the collectible world of steamboats are sidewheel models that depict the early American towboats of the 19th century. AMERICA was one such vessel that I researched and found to be an interesting build with an interesting history.

AMERICA was built in 1852 for service between New york City and Albany, New York. She was considered to be the third largest towsteamer to operate on the Hudson River at that time -built for steamboat captain Samuel B. Schuyler for his Schuyler Line...

Rex Stewart

MARY POWELL, the gem of New York's Hudson River, was an exciting endeavor to pursue -from a different perspective.

I already had models in collections both here in America and across the Atlantic, but this fresh commission sparked my interest to further research this prolific Northeast steamboat and present her original appearance when built at the onset of the Civil War in 1861.

For further reading visit Hudson River Model Steamboats

Rex Stewart

The United States had encountered two great wars. One from within, the Civil War; and, the other from its mother Nation across the Atlantic, the War of 1812.

Though two generations apart, both events connected a famous steamboat, fighting ship and two Irish-American families. Both vessels and both families endured the social and political biases of American culture to rise as God's children to a better calling. The steamboat that connected these families was known as the "Queen...

Rex Stewart

The massive and beautiful ST. JOHN was the People's Line response to the Hudson River's ever-increasing traffic of the 1860s. The United States was at war with itself; but inspite of the country's civil unrest, citizens and foreign visitors continued to travel the picturesque river to enjoy those regions north of the capital city, Albany, New York.

To accommodate these visitors and get them to these northern points, re: Saratoga, Lake George, Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, ST.JOHN...

Rex Stewart

One of the principle reasons I chose to build accurate steamboat models was, because the 156 mile stretch of New York's scenic Hudson River had them at practically every major port-of-call during the 19th and early 20th century, from New York City to the northern region of Albany-Troy, N.Y.

The river carried several hundred of these beautiful sidewheel and screw propellor types, from the modestly simple to the most complicated in beauty and design. Photos and paintings were accessible,...

Rex Stewart