Steamboat Era Museum

Category: Pilothouse

  • 2019 Annual Appeal Underway

    2019 Annual Appeal Underway

    WE DID IT!

    The Potomac Pilothouse is Home!
    On May 29 the pilothouse was lifted above the museum and entered the exhibition hall through the back wall. By opening day, June 11, the museum was painted, carpet was laid and new exhibits were hung.

    The 2019 season’s attendance was larger then ever before, as we continued to refine exhibits and shipwright John Morgenthaler worked on the interior of the wheelhouse.

    BUT…
    we need your continued support to make sure we have the operating funds to keep the lights on and to provide needed upkeep for our exhibits. In addition the outside of the building is being painted for the first time in 15 years!

    Because of your past support, you can now step into the Potomac Pilothouse and take the wheel, get to know Hansford Bayton (an African-American steamboat captain), view the last flag flown on the steamer Potomac, and more! The Museum is committed to accept, integrate, and display new artifacts. We continue to focus on new ways to learn about our steamboat heritage and have fun doing it!

    The Museum’s Board of Directors and Friends of the Museum have issued a $10,000 dollar-for-dollar challenge match to help make 2020 a secure year for the museum! Together we can ensure that the museum thrives for many years to come. DONATE NOW!

    PS When you shop at Amazon this holiday season, please visit smile.amazon.com and choose the Steamboat Era Museum as your charity. Every time you make a purchase, Amazon will donate .05% of your total to the Museum! All products and prices are the same on Amazon and Amazon Smile! So look for the smile and support the Museum!

  • The Installation of The Pilothouse

    The Installation of The Pilothouse

  • It’s Been A Long Road But We’re Almost There!

    It’s Been A Long Road But We’re Almost There!

    The work on the Potomac Pilothouse is coming into the final stretch.
    The wheel is installed, there is glass in the windows and the canvas is going on the new roof.

    We anticipate it will be installed in mid May. Visitors to the museum will be able to view the finishing work, which will take place after the Pilothouse is placed in the museum.

    New exhibits for the museum are in the finishing stages of design and fabrication.
    Visitors will learn about the history and importance of steamboats in the Northern Neck and Chesapeake Bay.

    The museum will be open to visitors in early June. Detail work on new exhibits and the Pilothouse will continue throughout the season. Our visitors will have a chance to experience first-hand the work it takes to tell the story of the importance of steamboats to the towns and communities around the Bay.

    Keep checking back to this website for updates!

    Below: an example of one of our new exhibits.

  • A Successful Open House at the Steamboat Era Museum

    A Successful Open House at the Steamboat Era Museum

    A steady stream of visitors came to the museum last Sunday to preview new exhibits planned for the 2019 season. A presentation about the progess of the restoration of the Potomac Pilothouse was shown.

    In addition to the installation of the Pilothouse, 22 new exhibits are planned for the upcoming season. Visitors will hear Captain Hansford Bayton tell his story as an African American steamboat owner/captain, learn about the history of Weems and the Dameron family who helped build the economy of the town, and will be amazed at the 10ft x 7 ft flag that last flew on the Steamer Potomac.

    Open house attendees supported the museum by donating more then $10,000 to individual exhibits to honor or memorialize friends and family. If you are interested in supporting a specific exhibit please call 438-6888 or email director@steamboateramuseum.org for more information.

    Photo:
    Candance Pevahouse (right), Administrative Assistant at the Museum, introduces a group of visitors to the plans for the interactive exhibit Against the Tide: The Astonishing Life of Hansford Bayton. Through visuals and sound visitors will learn about the life and times of Hansford Bayton, a local African American steamboat owner/captain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    Photo by Michael Geissinger

  • Join us for an Open House Sunday, March 3 | 2-6pm

    Join us for an Open House Sunday, March 3 | 2-6pm

    See concept drawings of new exhibits, as well as the progress of the Pilothouse restoration!

    There is no charge for this event and no need to RSVP, just come and enjoy light refreshments while you get a firsthand peek at the future look of the museum.

    Naming opportunities are available to honor or memorialize family or friends.
    All donations made at the open house will be used exclusively for new exhibits.

  • Steamboat Era Museum prepares for new exhibits and Potomac Pilothouse

    IRVINGTON—On February 3, volunteers gathered at the Steamboat Era Museum, 156 King Carter Drive, Irvington, to begin the preparations for new exhibits and the installation of the Potomac Pilothouse in the fall.

    To make room for the Pilothouse, volunteers disassembled the country store and cannery exhibits, reported executive director Barbara Brecher. Other exhibits were removed from the exhibition hall to allow some interior walls to be removed.

    The 2018 season, which will begin in late April, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the museum’s founding, said Brecher. Visitors will experience the process of redesigning new museum exhibits.

    The story of the Steamboat Era will continue to be told during the 2018 season. New exhibits, to be installed in the fall, will continue to tell the story of the era as well as the Steamer Potomac.

    A coffee table book about the Steamboat Era and the Steamer Potomac is schedule to be published in the fall.

    To donate to the Pilothouse project or the museum, visit steamboateramuseum. org.

    Article re-printed from The Rappahannock Record.

    From left, museum life member Jack Ashburn and board members Jim Ward and Fred Pevahouse take apart the cannery exhibit. They also disassembled the country store exhibit. Ashburn’s collection of Steamboat Era merchandise filled the store for several years.

  • See the Restoration of the Potomac Pilothouse and Enjoy a Low Country Boil

    On Saturday, September 23 John and Olivia Morgenthaler are hosting a low country boil to support the Steamboat Era Museum’s Potomac Pilothouse project. John, the shipwright working on the project, will be available to talk about the project and you will see firsthand the progress being made on this historic artifact.

    The event will take place outside, beside the workshop, where the pilothouse is located. Monies raised from this event will be matched dollar for dollar by a $50,000 matching grant challenge from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation.

    The restoration of the Pilothouse has always been a goal of the founders of the museum. Acquired in 2001,the Pilothouse stood in front of the museum until it was shrink wrapped in 2010 and stored in a field in White Stone. In 2015 it was moved to the Morgenthaler’s property.

    The low country boil will be prepared by local waterman Robbie Reamy, president of Reamy Seafood. Virginia Commonwealth Bank will provide refreshments.

    Tickets cost $75. Seating is limited. The event will take place at the Morgenthaler’s home at 215 Railway Drive in Heathsville from 6-8 pm, rain or shine.  Tickets are available by emailing director@steamboateramuseum.org,  calling the museum at 438-6888 or online through PayPal, below.




  • Steamboat Era Museum Launches Public Pilothouse Campaign with a $50,000 Challenge Grant

    Steamboat Era Museum Launches Public Pilothouse Campaign with a $50,000 Challenge Grant

    The Steamboat Era Museum is proud to announce the public phase of the Pilot the Potomac Home campaign with a dollar for dollar $50,000 grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation in Richmond. Every dollar donated after mid-May, will be matched up to $50,000! This grant is one more step in the process of restoring and placing the Steamer Potomac’s Pilothouse, the largest remaining portion of a Chesapeake Bay steamboat, in the Museum.

    The Pilothouse, which includes the wheelhouse, captain’s cabin and crew quarters is currently being restored by local shipwright, John Morganthaler. In 2015 the Pilothouse was name one of Virginia’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts.

    This project is not just about an important artifact. When placed in the museum, along with new exhibits, it will enhance the understanding of the Chesapeake Bay’s cultural and economic history and will provide stimulating and innovative educational experiences for all visitors. The addition of the Pilothouse will position the Museum as the nation’s leading institution on the Steamboat Era in the Chesapeake Bay.

    For the past few months the Board of Directors has been raising funds to restore the Pilothouse. The museum has received a $100,000 grant from the Nettie Lokey Wiley and Charles L. Wiley Foundation and generous donations from members of the community. The goal of the campaign is $350,000, which includes the restoration of the Pilothouse and the redesign of the museum’s interior structure and exhibits. To date $140,000 has been raised not including the challenge grant.

    To donate to this project please visit the Donate page on our website, call 438-6888 or visit the museum at 156 King Carter Drive in Irvington on Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm.

    Photo: John Morganthaler explains the process of restoring the Pilothouse to Museum Board Directors and interested community members.
    Photo Credit: Michael Geissinger

  • Museum announces $100,000 grant for the Potomac Pilothouse Project

    Museum announces $100,000 grant for the Potomac Pilothouse Project

    At a gathering February 3, hosted by Margaret and Eric Nost, community leaders and Steamboat Era Museum donors learned about a grant and a challenge donation to the Potomac Pilothouse project.

    Eric Nost, chairman of the Pilothouse fundraising committee, announced a grant from the The Nettie Lokey Wiley and Charles L. Wiley Foundation for $100,000 toward the restoration and installation of the Pilothouse in the museum.

    Pictured: John Morgenthaler unwraps the Potomac Pilothouse. After some structural work it will be moved into the workshop in the background where the restoration work will take place. Photo by Michael A. Geissinger

    Read the entire story in the Rappahannock Record; Click Here

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