Tidewater by Steamboat: A Saga of the Chesapeake [Hardcover]

Professor David C. Holly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1991

"The name Weems, and the Weems line," writes David C. Holly, "symbolized nearly the entire epoch of the steamboat on the Chesapeake." The Weems line began in Baltimore in 1819, as steamboats first appeared on the Chesapeake and its rivers. It was sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1905, at the height of the steamboat's "Golden Age," though its boats continued to serve the Bay until the 1930s. Illustrated with maps, drawings, and rare photographs, Tidewater by Steamboat is the vivid portrait of life on the Patuxent, the Potomac, and the Rappahannock, where Weems boats sailed and the course of the American republic was set.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the steamboating history of the Chesapeake Bay." -- Maryland Magazine

"A splendid history of the famous Weems Line... Mr. Holly has filled his book with magnificent photographs and technical data, which will please any steamboat enthusiast." -- Baltimore Sun

"This book offers not only pleasant reading, it presents a comprehensive and accurate overview of steamboat transportation on the Chesapeake up to 1938." -- Maryland Historical Magazine

"Maritime history at its best -- not narrowly focused on ships, the particulars of their engines, or the personalities of captains or stewards, but rather an integrated effort that places these vessels in their proper historical context." -- Mariner's Mirror

Book Description

A vivid portrait of steamboats on the Patuxent, the Potomac, and the Rappahannock

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801841682
• ISBN-13: 978-0801841682
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,813,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Chesapeake Steamboats Live On, April 10, 2001

By 

Edward Feege (Severna Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tidewater by Steamboat: A Saga of the Chesapeake (Paperback)

This book is a real treasure for anyone interested in the grand old steamboats that used to ply the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The story follows George Weems as he struggles to establish his fledgling steamboat service on the Chesapeake, George's son Mason L. Weems who turns the company into a highly successful business, and Henry Williams who pilots the company through its most successful years and then - seeing an uncertain future for steamboats - sells the company to the Pennsylvania railroad in 1904.

Not only did the late Mr. Holly tell a great story, but he also filled the book's appendices with an incredible wealth of information on the Weems line and its steamboats. This includes information on the individual boats and the routes and landings they served, as well as representative data on the operating and construction costs of the vessels, minutes from several stockholder meetings, and a history of the Weems family. Moreover, the evocative photographs of the steamboats at work are worth the price of the book all by themselves. All in all, a great book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Details & History Par Excellance, July 21, 2008

By 

Sea Dog (retired) (Fredericksburg, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tidewater by Steamboat: A Saga of the Chesapeake (Paperback)

As a long time resident of Tidewater Virginia, I found the book fascinating. I dimly remember the Washington to Norfolk daily steamer in the 1950s, and this book does an excellent job of detailing the many, earlier Bay steamboats that preceded it. The book has a wealth of detail: steamboat dimensions and furnishings, individual landings (piers with passenger and goods storage), steamboat races, and a well written, readable book about a time -- now long gone -- when there were little or no passable roads on the Western Shore (and much of the Eastern, as well) of the Chesapeake Bay and the steamboats were the only reliable transportation link to the wider outside world of Baltimore, Norfolk, Washington and Fredericksburg with their railroad terminals and stations. The book also has excellent maps and black and white photos to further amplify its contents. HIGHLY recommended for the student of area history or just more familiarity with an age now receding further into the mists of time. An easy, enjoyable read at an affordable price....