72 Oak Street

P.O. Box 272

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

(207) 633-0820

brhs@gwi.net

Hours 10-2 Wed-Sat

Maine Coastal Vessels of the Steamboat Era

by Alden Stickney $24.00

Published in 2009

A voice from a bygone Era...

The "steamboat era" comprises roughly that period of time between the building of Fulton's North River Steamboat of Clermont in 1807 and World War II.  After that period, steamboats had become either essentially museum pieces or nostalgic tourist attractions.  During that period, however, they did share the maritime stage with commercial sailing vessels, and they did evolve considerably: from wooden to steel construction, from paddle wheels to screw propellers, from reciprocating piston steam engines to turbines, from wood fired to oil fired boilers, and ultimately from steam to internal combustion engines.  This book documents this evolution through a series of 28 beautiful paintings, each accompanied by historical notes, by Alden P. Stickney. 

About the Author

Born in Providence R. I. September 7, 1922, Alden P. Stickney has an extensive background in the sciences.  Having earned a Masters degree in Biology from Harvard University in 1950, he later worked as a marine fishery biologist.

    When Alden retired in 1982 he took up painting, specializing in ship portraits and marine scenes.  He has painted more than 140 canvases, most of which have been sold to individual collectors or given away as gifts or donations to charitable causes.

    A 25 year member of The Steamship Historical Society of America and a member of the National Maritime Historical Society, Alden has written articles on maritime subjects that have appeared in the Down East Magazine, in Steamboat Bill (the journal of the Steamship historical Society), and in various publications of the Boothbay Region Historical Society.  He lives with his wife in Southport, Maine.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

A Word About Paintings

Down East Steamboats

Sappho

Mount Desert

J.T. Morse

Bangor- Rockland- Boston Steamboats

Katahdin

City of Bangor

City of Rockland

Belfast

Bath- Kennebec River- Boston Steamboats

Sagadahoc (a.k.a. Star of the East)

Kennebec

Ransom B Fuller

Other Maine- Boston Steamboats

Portland

Calvin Austin

Brandon

Mid-Coast Smaller and Local Steamboats

Enterprise

Mineola

Monhegan

May Archer

Southport

Winter Harbor

Virginia

Newcastle

Casco Bay Steamboats

Merryconeag

Emita

Machigonne (a.k.a. Yankee or Block Island)

Other Vessels of Interest

Tugboat Pejebscot

Coasting Schooner Polly

Pinky Schooner Maine

Unidentified sailing canal barge

Bibliography