Ralph Nading Hill (September 19, 1917 – December 10, 1987) was a Vermont writer and

preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...

. Hill's books include ''The Winooski, Heartway of Vermont'' (1949), which viewed Vermont through the lens of

the river The River may refer to: Films * ''The River'' (1929 film), an American film by Frank Borzage * ''The River'' (1933 film), a Czech film by Josef Rovenský * ''The River'' (1938 film), an American film by Pare Lorentz * ''The River'' (1951 fi ...

known to the

Algonquians The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. T ...

as "The Onion River" and ''Sidewheeler Saga,'' a book about the steamboat ''Ticonderoga'', the last sidewheel steamer on Lake Champlain. Hill worked on the boat, which traveled between Vermont and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

across Lake Champlain, for three years. Hill later became well known in Vermont for preserving the ''Ticonderoga'', at first trying to keep the boat running as an excursion steamer, and then persuading Electra Havemeyer Webb to buy the ship for her

Shelburne Museum Shelburne Museum is a museum of art, design, and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds. It is located ...

. The ship was transported overland to the museum in 1955.

Bibliography

*''Lake Champlain, Key to Liberty'' *''The Doctors Who Conquered Yellow Fever'' *''Yankee Kingdom: Vermont and New Hampshire'', 1960 *''Contrary Country: A Chronicle of Vermont'' *''Vermont; A Special World'' *''Vermont Album: A Collection of Early Vermont Photographs'' *''The Winooski: Heartway of Vermont'' *''The Voyages of Brian Seaworthy'' *''Robert Fulton and the Steamboat'' *''Lake Champlain Ferryboats: A Short History of Lake Champlain and the Story of Over 200 Years of Lake Champlain Ferryboats''

References

1917 births 1987 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Writers from Vermont 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers {{Vermont-stub