Showboat Majestic, P. A. Denny, Mamie S. Barrett

[Franz Neumeier]

I'm in the final stage of a huge project, updating the whole steamboats.org website and migrating it to a new software platform (i.e. Wordpress). After working through every single page updating all the information that - I admit - hasn't been touched for years, I've got three question I hope someone is able to answer:

1) The Mamie S. Barrett at Deer Park, LA, has been damaged in a fire in 2017 and if I recollect correctly, there was some heavy flooding after that as well. Is there something left from the wreck of the boat at all or is the Mamie S. Barrett gone for ever?

2) The Majestic Showboat at Cincinnati has been sold to the owners of the Moyer Winery at Manchester, OH, in 2019. But then the winery burnt down, taking them out of business. Does anyone know what happened to the Majestic? Is she still in Cincinnati now?

3) The P. A. Denny has been operated by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. But that doesn't seem to be the case today. Does anyone know what happened to the P. A. Denny and where she is now?

Thanks so very much! ...and stay tuned for the big relaunch of steamboats.org in the near future (don't worry, so far this will not affect the message board at all, though I'll probably have to update the message board software as well, soon).

Kind regards
Franz

[Matthew Dow]

Franz,

I'm not entirely sure about the disposition of the MAMIE S. BARRETT or the MAJESTIC, but I do know about the DENNY. She's owned by Capt. R.C. "Heck" Heckert of Parkersburg, WV.

[Franz Neumeier]

Matt, thanks a lot :-)

For the Majestic, I've found her in satellite images - obviously she's still at the Moyer Winery near Manchester, OH. (great and free source for satellite images, by the way: https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/eo-browser/ )

[R. Dale Flick]

*RE: MAJESTIC, DENNY, BARRETT*
Good morning, Franz and Matt,
Good questions above and I don't know the full 'official' answers at this point but know who to go to that knows. I use the term 'official' answers as of late we've have well-meaning, interested people who have put out statements more with wishes, wants and steamboat romance not based in the reality of the matter. With all going on now RE: 'C-Virus' with nearly everything on hold, closed down, in limbo. I'll contact Capt. Bill Judd up here. Also Capt. Don Sanders may know. My understanding, with photos, is the BARRETT is now a total loss, gone. The SHOWBOAT MAJESTIC has been a fast start, fast finish with schemes, plans on hold or abandoned. The owners there had appeals to 'Go Fund Me.' That is no way to operate a commercial enterprise. Also BELLE OF LOUISVILLE laid up as are other excursion, cruise river vessels. S&D of Pioneer Rivermen & J. Mack Gamble Fund granted BELLE $10,000. At this point I don't know what for. The hard, cold reality is that with all going on, millions laid off, companies, concerns shut down, people needing help, boats and ships aren't ranking very high. Things are opening up slowly here and will get better but it will be a slow process. All we can do is wait for the best.
Hope you all are faring well, getting along. Hang in there.

R. Dale Flick - Treasurer/Statutory agent Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen
Old Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River Cincinnati.