NEWS
Steamboat Lecture Rescheduled at C-GCC
"Steamboat Days on the Hudson," a free lecture by Capt. Stanley Wilcox, Has
been rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m., in the Professional
Academic Center at Columbia-Greene Community College. The original date was
cancelled due to snow.
During his presentation, Capt. Wilcox will make the image of Hudson River
Steamboats come alive. The name itself invokes images of mighty three and
four hundred foot-long multi-level vessels churning up the river at close to
twenty miles an hour with paddle wheels slapping, smoke billowing from the
stacks, and hundreds of people gathered at the rails to view the passing
scenery.
The men arrive wearing freshly pressed shirts and pants while the women are
adorned in their Sunday best. This is, after all, a most special occasion. A
trip from New York City to Albany in only eight hours on a magnificent
vessel adorned with chandeliers, oil paintings, and brass rails.
The journey from the first steamboat that appeared on the Hudson to the time
of the grand and opulent vessels is a story filled with greed, frustration,
and courtroom drama. It begins with the New York Legislature granting Robert
Livingston a 30-year steamboat monopoly and ends with a decision from the U.S.
Supreme Court argued by none other than Daniel Webster.
These grand and inspiring boats have long since vanished from the Hudson, but
those who recall them do so with fond memories. It was an era that for many
made the Hudson River the center of the universe.
Capt. Wilcox is co-author of "The Hudson River Book," which includes a
foreward by the Riverkeeper.
C-GCC is located on state Route 23 in Greenport, one mile east of the Rip
Van Winkle Bridge. Route 23 can be reached from Exit 21 of the New York
State Thruway or the Hudson exit of the Taconic Parkway.
been rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m., in the Professional
Academic Center at Columbia-Greene Community College. The original date was
cancelled due to snow.
During his presentation, Capt. Wilcox will make the image of Hudson River
Steamboats come alive. The name itself invokes images of mighty three and
four hundred foot-long multi-level vessels churning up the river at close to
twenty miles an hour with paddle wheels slapping, smoke billowing from the
stacks, and hundreds of people gathered at the rails to view the passing
scenery.
The men arrive wearing freshly pressed shirts and pants while the women are
adorned in their Sunday best. This is, after all, a most special occasion. A
trip from New York City to Albany in only eight hours on a magnificent
vessel adorned with chandeliers, oil paintings, and brass rails.
The journey from the first steamboat that appeared on the Hudson to the time
of the grand and opulent vessels is a story filled with greed, frustration,
and courtroom drama. It begins with the New York Legislature granting Robert
Livingston a 30-year steamboat monopoly and ends with a decision from the U.S.
Supreme Court argued by none other than Daniel Webster.
These grand and inspiring boats have long since vanished from the Hudson, but
those who recall them do so with fond memories. It was an era that for many
made the Hudson River the center of the universe.
Capt. Wilcox is co-author of "The Hudson River Book," which includes a
foreward by the Riverkeeper.
C-GCC is located on state Route 23 in Greenport, one mile east of the Rip
Van Winkle Bridge. Route 23 can be reached from Exit 21 of the New York
State Thruway or the Hudson exit of the Taconic Parkway.