The Howard Steamboat Museum, or the Howard National Steamboat Museum,
is located in
Jeffersonville, Indiana, across from
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. House in the Howard Family mansion, it features items related to
steamboat history and specifically, the Howard Shipyards of Jeffersonville, IN. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Origin
The home was built in 1890 by Edmonds J. Howard, who inherited the family shipyard from his father James Howard. James founded the Howard Ship Yards, both in what was then
Port Fulton, Indiana. It cost $100,000 to build the 22-room, 15,000 square foot, 3-floor
Richardsonian Romanesque style red brick structure. Still within the museum are gasoliers that operate on electricity and natural gas, carvings, arches and a grand staircase that reflect the wealth Edmonds Howard had. The house features 15 different types of wood and themed rooms, such as a Moorish music parlor and a library. The museum features 90% original furnishings, many of which were purchased at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. As the Howards prided themselves on their hulls, a large collection of the half-breadths is displayed on the property.
[ ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs.] It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1973 as the Howard Home.
[
The New York architectural firm of Drach and Thomas designed the house, while a local man, Arthur Loomis, supervised the project. They chose the popular Richardsonian Romanesque style, while including exterior features such as red brick cladding and stained-glass windows. Keeping with the theme of the Howard family business, along with other boat-related features they installed a stairway fully copied from the stairway of the steamboat ''J. M. White''.]Jeffboat
Jeffboat was a shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana founded by James Howard in 1834, a builder of steamboats. The company was owned by the Howard family until it was sold leading up to World War II. Following the war, it became known as the Jeff ...
, and it remained in business until the end of May, 2018. It had been considered the largest and oldest boat-building and repair yard in the inland waterway.
Museum
On March 17, 1971, a fire broke out in the museum. Since much of the building saw minor damage, and other areas were able to be restored, the museum reopened the next year.
Gallery
File:Hsmparlor.png, Dining Room
File:Old Howard Mansion.jpg, The museum circa 1909
File:Hsmstairway.png, Stairway fashioned after the J.M. White steamboat
See also
* Henry French House
* List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
* List of maritime museums in the United States
List of maritime museums in the United States is a sortable list of American museums which display objects related to ships and water travel. Many of these maritime museums have museum ships in their collections. Member museums of the Council o ...
*
References
External links
*
Howard Steamboat Museum Collection at University of Louisville Photographic Archives
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Jeffersonville, Indiana
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Houses completed in 1890
Maritime museums in Indiana
Museums in Clark County, Indiana
Houses in Clark County, Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Indiana
1890 establishments in Indiana
Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Indiana