North River Canal packet boats cabinet card photo, stereoscope card photo and post cards, 1860/1912

Containers:

Box 10, Folder 1

Scope and content:

The photos in this folder are as follows:

A circa 1860 book page photo and copy print photo of a packet boat on the river at East Lexington, Virginia, with the home Stono and Virginia Military Institue in the background. A stereoscope card photo of the packet boat Marshall on the North River, now the Maury River, taken by Boude and Miley, circa 1868-1870. A circa 1900 cabinet card photo of the Marshall on the James River near Lynchburg, Virgina with a cover bridge in the background. A circa 1910 post card of the Boude & Miley, circa 1868-1870 photo of the packet boat Marshall. The post card was made by the Wells Specialty Company, Hungtington, West Virginia and has individual oval photos on it of the Marshall's captain, James A. Wilkinson and the Marshall's last mate, James P. Wilkinson, son of Capt. Wilkinson. Two copies of a circa 1912 post card made by J. P. Bell, Lynchburg, Virginia one of which was published by G. E. Murrell, Lynchburg, Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

Lynchburg, Virginia, originally developed around the exact site where 17-year-old John Lynch established a ferry service across the James River in 1757. This crossing point, known as Lynch's Ferry, became a vital regional hub for shipping tobacco and commerce. By the mid-19th century, the flat-bottomed batteaux used at the ferry gave way to the James River and Kanawha Canal. This network allowed specialized passenger and cargo vessels—known as packet boats—to transit smoothly between Richmond, Virgnia and Lexington, Virginia. The historic packet boat Marshall built in 1861, was widely regarded as the finest packet boat to travel the canal. Pulled by teams of horses or mules walking along the riverbank towpaths, it transported mail, freight, and passengers overnight in relative comfort. The Marshall earned a permanent place in American history during the Civil War. On May 13, 1863, following the Battle of Chancellorsville, the boat was used to solemnly convey the body of Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson from the railroad terminal at Lynchburg up the canal to his final resting place in Lexington, Virginia. Following the expansion of local railroads and severe structural flood damage, the canal system shut down. It was not moved from Rockbridge County, Virginia, but originally beached on the James River riverbank in Lynchburg, Virginia following the closure of the canal in 1880. The abandoned boat briefly served as a unique house for an elderly local man and his sister at the turn of the 20th century. A massive flood in 1913 wrecked the makeshift living quarters, causing the wooden vessel to sink and become completely buried under sand and mud. Decades later in 1936, a section of the historic iron-reinforced hull was excavated and saved from the James River riverbed mud. Today, the metal remnants of the original vessel are preserved on public display as a historical monument at Riverside Park in Lynchburg, Virginia. Since its initial placement in the park, the remnants of the hull have seen additional preservation efforts, including a protective covering built by the Lynchburg Historical Foundation.

Other descriptive data:

Included is the backing of a framed photo with donor information.

Access and use