Construction and earlier testing of the boat
- When
- 1785–1786
- Where
- Bath and Shepherdstown area, with a test at Shenandoah Falls
Joseph Barnes built the hull from 1785, machinery parts were installed in December 1786, and the boat was tested at Shenandoah Falls before the public trial.
Work on the hull began in 1785 in Bath by Joseph Barnes, Rumsey's assistant and brother-in-law, who did much of the building around Shepherdstown while Rumsey oversaw Patowmack Company work on the river. Valve castings, cylinders, and other pieces made in Baltimore and Frederick were installed that December, and the boat was taken downriver to Shenandoah Falls for a test. The pole-boat mechanism was abandoned at some point in 1786.
Sources
- James Rumsey Wikipedia, revision of 2025-12-17
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