The Jennie Barbour ran on Bayon Teche. BY JAM~S~. SWI~ took two years of intense work to restore all important. His boat, or the one he saw WJ Contributing Editor the houseand grounds.There wasan open Oaklawn from most, was the Jennie Bar- Not far from the Gulf Intracoastalcanal housethere in September1926, with news- bour, named for his wife. Built in Jeffer- on Irish Bend, Bayou Teche, in Franklin, paper coverage,and guestsarrived by pri- sonville, Ind., in 1905, the sternwheel La., standsone of the prettiest plantation vate cars from Houstonand New Orleans. towboatwas 110by 28 by 4.5 feet. Towing houses in the region, Oaklawn Manor. A special booklet about Oaklawn was mostly on Bayou Teche, the Jennie later What a lot of people don't knowis that it is published in 1968 (a second edition; the went to Houston in the sand and gravel still there in good repair because of a first was done in 1966),written by Lucile business,then was sold to TexasOil Com- steamboatman. Barbour Holmes. The chaptersare about pany for use on the PanucoRiver in Mexi- The storyis that Capt. Clyde Arthur Bar- the builder, AlexanderPorter; the restorer, co. The engines,12 inches in diameterwith bour saw it many times as he traveled Capt. Barbour; the preserver,Thomas J. a six-foot stroke, eventuallywent to a boat BayouTeche on his boats,moving lumber, Holmes; the perpetuator, George D. built there in 1919,named R. C. Holmes oil and provisions,and fell in love with it. Thomason;and of course the house itself for the presidentof the oil company. He told his wife Jennie,"some day that is and the gardens. Capt. Barbour alsooperated the Major going to be ours." Black, which he had purchased from the In those days, 1895 to 1910, Oaklawn About Capt. Barbour Barrett Line. It wasnamed for the fatherof Manor was not in the best of condition. It Of course,in this storyCapt. Barbouris -SEE PLANTATION PAGE13 Plantation National Capital Section,for running the outstanding civil engineering project, the (CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 14) C&O Canal Flood RecoveryProgram, for Mrs. OscarF. Barrett,who wasan officer in restorationof the canal after two floods in the Civil War. The Major Black alsowent to 1996,and a campaignto restorethe Mono- Mexico in February 1913. Capt. Barbour cacyAqueduct. also had the Joe Birg, which went to Mex- ico along with the Jennie Barbour, and a Another Wreck Found boat named for his son,C. A. Barbour Jr.; BobVarga at OklahomaCity, Okla.,sent it was knownas the C.A.B. Jr. usa clipping with a datelineof Fort Towson Capt. Barbour died in the summer of that tells of work on another steamboat 1931 at the ageof 57; his wife lived at Oak- wreck that has attractednational attention lawn for another50 years. For those inter- from archaeologistsbecause of its age.Swift ested,the houseis open for tours from 10 currentsare hampering work on the wreck. a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Sectionswill be removedand displayedat the OklahomaHistory Centerin Oklahoma Down On The Ouachita City and the Fort TowsonHistorical Site. The Ouachita River Valley AssociationVarga points out that there was regular met at the former International Paper steamboatservice from New Orleans to CompanySupeIVisors Club August2. The Fort Towson, with two boats going back meeting was attended by the new com- and forth. manderof the VicksburgEngineer District, Col Frederick Clapp. Mayor Chris Clay- The Lunga Point bakerof Camden,Ark., is president of the Thanks to Lee Calvin, with Trinity- association. Madisonville,who pointed out that Trini- The ArkansasWaterways Association had ty Marine has the former DPC steamer its annual Governor's Conference on Lunga Point on the Lower Mississippi at Waterborne TransportationAugust 7-9 at Mile 224. In May 1998 the boat was the North Little Rock Hilton. The meeting moved to the Plaquemine Point Shipyard included a dinner cruise on the Arkansas at Sunshine,La. The boat was sold to the River. Chairmanof the associationis Ralph PlaquemineTowing Companyon May 29, McDonald. 1998. On Canals Mike Ehrler Light For the fourth straight year Congress The channel light at Mile 554.8 Upper appropriated $8 million for the preserva- MississippiRiver was renamed for the late tion and developmentof the Ohio & Erie Capt. Mike Ehrler, who waskilled in a trag- Canal National Heritage Corridor. This ic accidentnear his home in Iowa April 28. leverageslocal, state and private funds for The light is just acrossthe river from Capt. canalwork. Ehrler's grave. About 120people boarded The D&H Canal Historical Society the excursion boat Celebration Belle at raised $66,000in matching funds for work Lock 12 July 16 for the short trip to the on its lockspreservation project. dedication ceremony. Among them were C&O CanalPark SuperintendentDoug Capt. JesseGrimmitt Jr. and Capt. John Faris and other park officialswere cited by Clatto from Columbus,Ky., and Paducah, the American Society of Civil Engineers, respectively. National Capital Section, for running the outstanding civil engineering project, the C&O Canal Flood RecoveryProgram, for restoration of the canal after two floods in 1996,and a campaignto restorethe Mono- cacyAqueduct. Another Wreck Found BobVarga at Oklalloma City, Okla., sent usa clipping with a datelineof Fort Towson that tells of work on another steamboat wreck that has attracted national attention from archaeologistsbecause of its age.Swift currentsare hampering work on the wreck. Sectionswill be removed and displayedat the OklahomaHistory Center in Oklahoma City and the Fort TowsonHistorical Site. Varga points out that there was regular steamboatservice from New Orleans to Fort Towson, with two boats going back and forth. The Lunga Point Thanks to Lee Calvin, with Trinity- Madisonville,who pointed out that Trini- ty Marine has the fonner DPC steamer Lunga Point on the Lower Mississippi at Mile 224. In May 1998 the boat was moved to the Plaquemine Point Shipyard at Sunshine,La. The boat was sold to the -Photo coultesy of Virginia Bennett PlaquemineTowing Companyon May 29, John Hartford, at left, on his first boat, with Bill Shahan and Terry Beckett. 1998. A Historic Picture of Trempeleau,Wis., who sanghis songs on Mike Ehrler Light Virginia Bennett, Covington, Ky., has the Julia Belle Swainduring the Midwest The channel light at Mile 554.8 Upper sentus a historicpicture from the life of our RiverboatBuffs cruise June 19. MississippiRiver was renamedfor the late late friend John Hartford. It showshim at Allen writes: "Yesterday(August 1)I had Capt. Mike Ehrler, who waskilled in a trag- the ageof 15 (and looking a bit scared)on the TV on while I was writing and there ic accidentnear his home in Iowa April 28. his first boat as clock watchman on the was a show about the time and life of The light is just acrossthe river from Capt. Delta Queen. The Eastman Kodak mark Glenn Campbell. There were two or three Ehrler's grave. About 120people boarded showsthe photographwas processedthe clips from his early showsdepicting a very the excursion boat Celebration Belle at week ending July 16, 1955. young John Hartford. It was John's music Lock 12 July 16 for the short trip to the With Hartford are Bill C. Shahan,assis- that got me interested in steamboats. dedication ceremony. Among them were tant engineer,and Teny R. Beckett,striker. Before that I had no notion of the history Capt. JesseGrimmitt Jr. and Capt. John that was flowing by my doorstep. I'll never More On John Hartford Clatto from Columbus, Ky., and Paducah, forget him and I'll never stop listening to respectively. Hartford is rememberedby Eddie Allen those songs."