National Historic Landmark

LONESTAR

LeClaire, Scott County, Iowa
Listed
December 20, 1989
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89002461

About this property

Lone Star is a wooden hull, steam-powered stern-wheeled towboat in LeClaire, Iowa, United States. She is dry docked and on display at the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire. Built in 1868, she is the oldest of three surviving steam-powered towboats, and the only one with a wooden hull. She was declared a National Historic Landmark on 20 December 1989. Lone Star has a wood frame hull 90 feet (27 m) long, with pointed bow, flat bottom and hard chine. With the sternwheel added, the total vessel length is 105 feet (32 m). She has a beam of 24.5 feet (7.5 m) and a hold depth of 4.1 feet (1.2 m). The internal hogging truss system is typical of boats of the period. The hull is divided internally into three watertight compartments. It has a two-deck superstructure, with the main deck housing the propelling machinery and steam boilers, with coal bins forward, boilers in the center, and engines aft. An upper deck above the boilers that houses the pilot house and crew quarters. Lone Star came off the ways at Lyons, Iowa in 1869. Originally the boat was a wood-burning side-wheeler, operated as a short-run packet. In 1890 she was remodeled and reconfigured as a stern-wheeler, for use as towboat. Lone Star was remodeled a second time in 1899 at the Kahlke Boat Yards in Rock Island, Illinois. In 1922 she was again altered, for use in dredging operations. On 21 April 1968, Lone Star was placed out of service. She was the last running and is now the last remaining intact wood hull paddlewheel boat that plied the Mississippi River. National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Iowa List of U.S. National Historic Landmark ships, shipwrecks, and shipyards

Location

LeClaire, Scott County, Iowa
41.60731, -90.32879

Categories

INDUSTRYENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONMARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Tromley, George, Sr., House
Industrial
0.8 mi
Cody Road Historic District
Listed
0.8 mi
Stone House
Industrial
0.8 mi
Old Mill House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Rambo House
Industrial
0.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was LONESTAR listed on the National Register?

LONESTAR was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1989.

What type of historic resource is LONESTAR?

LONESTAR is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is LONESTAR a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. LONESTAR has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for LONESTAR?

The period of significance for LONESTAR is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near LONESTAR?

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