City of Sanford Steamboat

SC00162.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

City of Sanford Steamboat

Alternative Title

City of Sanford Steamboat

Subject

Sanford (Fla.)
Steamboats--Florida

Description

The City of Sanford steamboat near Sanford, Florida. The steamboat was constructed by the Thompson & Clyde Shipyard in Jacksonville. On November 24, 1880, The City of Sanford was launched. The steamboat travedl between Sanford and Jacksonville 137 times and was able to carry 145 tons of goods. On April 24, 1882, The City of Sanford burned at Point La Vista, near Downtown Jacksonville.

By the mid-1880s, Sanford had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade.

The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.

Creator

Somerville, John Wilson

Source

Original drawing by John Wilson Somerville: Steamboats Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.

Publisher

College Publishing Company

Date Created

ca. 1880-1882

Date Copyrighted

1956

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original drawing by John Wilson Somerville.

Is Part Of

De Berard, Ella Teague. Steamboats in the Hyacinths. Daytona Beach, Fla: College Pub. Co, 1956.
Sanford Riverfront Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

image/jpg

Extent

897 KB

Medium

1 black and white drawing

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Sanford, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by John Wilson Somerville.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by John Wilson Somerville and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Curator

Cepero, Laura

Digital Collection

External Reference

De Berard, Ella Teague. Steamboats in the Hyacinths. Daytona Beach, Fla: College Pub. Co., 1956.
Cowart, John W. "The Burning Wheel: Gory Horror On The St. Johns: The Wreck of the City Of Sanford." cowart.info. http://www.cowart.info/Florida%20History/Cityof%20Sanford/Burning%20wheel,%20City%20of%20Sanford.htm.
"Steamboats." Museum of Seminole County History, Seminole County, Florida Government. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/core/fileparse.php/3338/urlt/steamboats.pdf.

Transcript

CITY of SANFORD

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

1 black and white drawing

Citation

Somerville, John Wilson, “City of Sanford Steamboat,” RICHES, accessed March 29, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/2185.

Locations

Categories