National Register of Historic Places

MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat)

Eddyville, Lyon County, Kentucky
Listed
April 27, 1983
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83002811

About this property

Mamie S. Barrett, also known as Penniman and Piasa, was a historic towboat which was built in 1921. It was located in Eddy Creek Marina, in Eddyville, Kentucky at the time of its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1983. It was built in 1921 at the Howard Brothers' shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana at cost of $145,000 and was the flagship vessel for the Barrett Towboat and Barge Line Company. It was launched on August 11, 1921, and made its maiden voyage two weeks later. The towboat was sold to the Army Corps of Engineers Office in Florence, Alabama in 1937 and renamed Penniman. In 1949, the towboat was bought by Lela and Spence Marshall, which renamed it Piasa, moved it at Harbor Point Yacht Club in West Alton, Missouri and operated it as a floating clubhouse. On October 20, 1981, the towboat was towed to Lake Barkley, Kentucky, where proprietors foamed the entire hull to prevent further deterioration, and planned to convert the boat to a first class restaurant and boutique. In 1987, after being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the boat was moved again to Vicksburg, Mississippi to be used as a showboat, and was outfitted with a theatre and a restaurant. In 1990 the boat was about to become a casino but never entered into exercise. During the Great Flood of 1993 the boat was carried away and beached at its present location. In 2013 the rusty wreck was still located on land at Deer Park Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. It was still beached in 2016 and in a state of great decay. The wreck of Mamie S. Barrett was further damaged by fire in May 2017. It is a 125 feet (38 m)-long "steel hulled sternwheel river towboat constructed with scow bow and steam engine rig." It is 30 feet (9.1 m) wide with draft of just 4 feet 7 inches.

Location

Eddyville, Lyon County, Kentucky
37.00769, -88.01699

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCETRANSPORTATIONMARITIME 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

Old Eddyville Historic District
Listed
4.3 mi
Halleck's Chapel and Halleck's School
Industrial
5.5 mi
Overby, L. B., House
Industrial
10 mi
Powell, William S., House
Industrial
10 mi
Knott House
Industrial
10.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat) listed on the National Register?

MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1983.

What type of historic resource is MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat)?

MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat) is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat)?

The period of significance for MAMIE S. BARRETT (towboat) is recorded as the industrial era.

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