Goldenrod (showboat)
Encyclopedia
On December 24, 1967, the Goldenrod Showboat is a designated U.S. National Historic Landmark
. She was placed on the ‘Threatened Historical Landmarks’ list in 2001.
One of two remaining examples of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, the Goldenrod is the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboat
s. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel show
s, vaudeville
, and serious drama.
for W.R. Markle. It cost $75,000 when it was new. At 200 feet long and 45 feet wide, it had an auditorium 162 feet long with twenty-one red velour upholstered boxes and a seating capacity of 1,400.
In 1910, twenty-one riverboats plied the Mississippi, visiting 15 mid-western states. By 1928, this number had dwindled to eleven, and by 1938, only five remained in operation. Between the Great Depression
, movies, and increased mobility, the days of the showboat were all but over.
The Goldenrod was the last showboat to work the Mississippi. Under the ownership of Capt. Bill Menke, she was moored at the St. Louis riverfront in 1937. By 1950, she had been partially sunk and salvaged twice. Shows were still being staged, and, for 75 cents a head, St. Louis playgoers could board the boat and “sass the actors” on stage.
On June 1, 1962, a disastrous fire, caused by an electrical short, all but destroyed the superstructure of the auditorium, and caused severe damage to the entire structure. The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of St. Louis businessmen headed by Frank C. Pierson and Don Franz, and restored to her original glory, and beyond. Plush carpeting was laid in the auditorium, with cabaret seating, under a huge crystal chandelier. Many antique appointments were salvaged from old St. Louis mansions being torn down. Brass fixtures and rails were restored or replaced, as was the tin ceiling and elaborate woodwork. A cocktail lounge was added, with a small bandstand, where the St. Louis Ragtimers band played traditional ragtime for many years. The upstairs staterooms were converted into a buffet dining room. When this $300,000 renovation was completed, the Goldenrod had its Grand Re-Opening in May, 1965. In 1967, she was registered as a National Historic Landmark. Mr. Pierson also owned the ‘Becky Thatcher’, a former packet boat, traveling no more but moored beside the Goldenrod , featuring a restaurant, lounges, and gift shop.
and The Salty Dogs
. From 1975 to 1984, the Goldenrod was operated as a sister theater to the Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado, presenting a unique style of melodrama plus vaudeville olio, in a high energy format created by G. William Oakley of Denver, Colorado. During this same period, the National Ragtime Festivals, produced by Oakley, became an annual phenomenon on the St. Louis riverfront.
, where it is currently (as of July 2011) moored on the Illinois River
.
Schwarz’ original intention was to place the boat into a protective basin to be constructed near her mooring location, but the plan never happened. The boat was, instead, towed to a mooring spot next to the tugboat
‘America’, which was owned by Shelia Prokuski and Randy Newingham.
As of January 15, 2008, the showboat‘s future was still uncertain. It remains moored in Calhoun County
and mired in court as questions remain about the legality of the sale. The judge, Richard Greenleaf, said the proper paperwork had not been filed for the auction
, so he has not signed off on the sale.
The couple want to sell the Goldenrod, but have to wait until the title clears. Though it has been reported they will sell the historic boat for scrap, Newingham has denied this.
, an award-winning artist, won the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art
Gold Medal Award, and the Palette and Chisel Gold Star Award for his watercolor painting of the Goldenrod.
Reports of the ghost started after these events, and actors and staff members claim that she is responsible for strange things that happen, such as doors slamming and items being moved about. Some claim to have even seen the host.
was a dockhand, but when an actor fell ill he stood in for him, beginning his long career.
Bob Hope
was supposed to have toured with the Goldenrod.
It has also been reported The Goldenrod served as an inspiration for Edna Ferber
‘s novel ‘Showboat
‘.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. She was placed on the ‘Threatened Historical Landmarks’ list in 2001.
One of two remaining examples of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, the Goldenrod is the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboat
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
s. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s, vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, and serious drama.
History
The boat was built in 1909 by Pope Dock Company of Parkersville, West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
for W.R. Markle. It cost $75,000 when it was new. At 200 feet long and 45 feet wide, it had an auditorium 162 feet long with twenty-one red velour upholstered boxes and a seating capacity of 1,400.
In 1910, twenty-one riverboats plied the Mississippi, visiting 15 mid-western states. By 1928, this number had dwindled to eleven, and by 1938, only five remained in operation. Between the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, movies, and increased mobility, the days of the showboat were all but over.
The Goldenrod was the last showboat to work the Mississippi. Under the ownership of Capt. Bill Menke, she was moored at the St. Louis riverfront in 1937. By 1950, she had been partially sunk and salvaged twice. Shows were still being staged, and, for 75 cents a head, St. Louis playgoers could board the boat and “sass the actors” on stage.
On June 1, 1962, a disastrous fire, caused by an electrical short, all but destroyed the superstructure of the auditorium, and caused severe damage to the entire structure. The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of St. Louis businessmen headed by Frank C. Pierson and Don Franz, and restored to her original glory, and beyond. Plush carpeting was laid in the auditorium, with cabaret seating, under a huge crystal chandelier. Many antique appointments were salvaged from old St. Louis mansions being torn down. Brass fixtures and rails were restored or replaced, as was the tin ceiling and elaborate woodwork. A cocktail lounge was added, with a small bandstand, where the St. Louis Ragtimers band played traditional ragtime for many years. The upstairs staterooms were converted into a buffet dining room. When this $300,000 renovation was completed, the Goldenrod had its Grand Re-Opening in May, 1965. In 1967, she was registered as a National Historic Landmark. Mr. Pierson also owned the ‘Becky Thatcher’, a former packet boat, traveling no more but moored beside the Goldenrod , featuring a restaurant, lounges, and gift shop.
On the levee
Beginning in the early 1960s to about 1985, the National Ragtime Festival at St. Louis was held in June aboard the Goldenrod. Many vintage jazz and ragtime bands were featured, including Turk MurphyTurk Murphy
Melvin Edward Alton “Turk” Murphy was renowned as a trombonist who played traditional and dixieland jazz in San Francisco....
and The Salty Dogs
The Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band
The Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band is a traditional jazz ensemble founded in 1947 in West Lafayette, Indiana, and later based in Chicago, Illinois...
. From 1975 to 1984, the Goldenrod was operated as a sister theater to the Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado, presenting a unique style of melodrama plus vaudeville olio, in a high energy format created by G. William Oakley of Denver, Colorado. During this same period, the National Ragtime Festivals, produced by Oakley, became an annual phenomenon on the St. Louis riverfront.
St. Charles
In 1989, the boat was purchased by the city of St. Charles for $300,000 and moved to the historic Missouri River town. It was restored and renovated, costing the city about 3.5 million dollars over the next 12 years. The dinner theater continued to operate as a popular attraction. In 2001, the boat was run aground after Missouri River levels ran low. It was closed due to Coast Guard structural repair requirements. The repair estimates were much higher than expected, and the City Council decided to sell the boat in 2002.Sale
When no one offered to buy it, the council decided to give it away. Four groups submitted proposals, and the council chose Lewis and Clark Landing, a firm headed by John Schwarz. The boat was moved to storage near the Poplar Street Bridge in downtown St. Louis. Later it was moved to Kampsville, IllinoisKampsville, Illinois
Kampsville is a village in Calhoun County, Illinois, United States, located on the west bank of the Illinois River. The population was 350 at the 2000 census.-General information:...
, where it is currently (as of July 2011) moored on the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
.
Schwarz’ original intention was to place the boat into a protective basin to be constructed near her mooring location, but the plan never happened. The boat was, instead, towed to a mooring spot next to the tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
‘America’, which was owned by Shelia Prokuski and Randy Newingham.
Uncertain future
In 2006, a civil suit was filed against Schwarz in an attempt to collect $24,000 in mooring fees owed to Prokuski. The case was supposed to have been settled, with Schwarz retaining ownership of the Goldenrod while he found new mooring for the boat. Schwarz did not move the boat, and it was sold at a sheriff’s auction in October 2007. Since there were no other bids on her, Prokuski bought her for $5,000.As of January 15, 2008, the showboat‘s future was still uncertain. It remains moored in Calhoun County
Calhoun County, Illinois
Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,089, which is an increase of 0.1% from 5,084 in 2000. Its county seat is Hardin. It is part of the Metro-East portion of the St...
and mired in court as questions remain about the legality of the sale. The judge, Richard Greenleaf, said the proper paperwork had not been filed for the auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
, so he has not signed off on the sale.
The couple want to sell the Goldenrod, but have to wait until the title clears. Though it has been reported they will sell the historic boat for scrap, Newingham has denied this.
Artistic Depiction
In 1943, Nicola VeronicaNicola Veronica
Nicola Veronica a portrait artist, photograph engraver for The Chicago Tribune newspaper, and art instructor at Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago, Illinois, was born 15 August 1905 in Italy, and died September 1979. His last residence was the Chicago, Illinois area...
, an award-winning artist, won the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art
Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art
The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art is an association of representational artists, founded in Chicago in 1895. Palette & Chisel is the second oldest artist organization in the United States.-Founding:As the Inland Printer reported in June 1896:...
Gold Medal Award, and the Palette and Chisel Gold Star Award for his watercolor painting of the Goldenrod.
Ghost stories
Staff members and performers claimed to have seen a girl in a red dress on many occasions. Nicknamed 'Victoria', the girl had been seen around the boat for many years. As the story goes, a widower worked on the Goldenrod, and raised his only daughter on board. Their staterooms were replaced by what would eventually be known as the banquet room. The girl wanted to be a performer on the boat, but her father did not like the idea. One night, they had a fight about the subject while docked in St. Louis. The girl left the boat that night, and was found next morning floating in the river. Her killers were never found. The father died shortly after.Reports of the ghost started after these events, and actors and staff members claim that she is responsible for strange things that happen, such as doors slamming and items being moved about. Some claim to have even seen the host.
Famous entertainers
Several notable entertainers are said to have worked on the Goldenrod during its glory days. Red SkeltonRed Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
was a dockhand, but when an actor fell ill he stood in for him, beginning his long career.
Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
was supposed to have toured with the Goldenrod.
It has also been reported The Goldenrod served as an inspiration for Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
‘s novel ‘Showboat
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
‘.
