The Steamboat Era Museum is planning a new exhibit for the 2023 season. It will spotlight children growing up during the height of the Steamboat Era—the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Steam power opened the world for these youngsters in much the same way as the internet has changed the lives of children today, reported executive director Steve Humphrey.
Steamboats transported everything to the small towns that dotted the inlets of the Chesapeake Bay and enriched the lives of its youngest residents, bringing bats and balls for the baseball teams, books and maps for the schools and fireworks for the Fourth of July, said Humphrey. They kept the general store stocked with hard candies and other treats, enabled grandma and grandpa to come for a visit and delivered the latest news from Richmond and Baltimore.
The museum is interested in any stories readers may recall about family members or friends who were children around 1880-1920. “We also ask residents to search their attics for any artifacts that may be relevant, he said. This may include schoolbooks, diaries, toys and photographs.
A generous grant from the Nettie Lockey Wiley and Charles L. Wiley Foundation is making this exhibit possible.
To share your discoveries and/or stories, contact exhibit designer Barbara Brecher at bbrecher@steamboateramuseum.org or 703-867-7125.
