The City of Hawkinsville’s Remarkable 38-Year Journey
Most steamboats in the 1800s died young – just four or five years before fires, explosions, or river snags claimed them. Not the City of Hawkinsville.
Built in Georgia in 1886, this tough wooden paddlewheel boat worked for an amazing 38 years.
After moving to Florida in 1900, she spent 22 years hauling lumber and cargo on the Suwannee River until Captain Currie finally abandoned her in 1922.
Now she rests intact underwater near Old Town, where divers can swim through this rare survivor of America’s steamboat era that refused to sink like her short-lived cousins.
Georgia Boat Builders Made a Wooden Giant in 1886
Workers built the City of Hawkinsville in 1886 at a shipyard in Abbeville, Georgia. This wooden sternwheeler stretched 141 feet long and 30 feet wide with two decks and a smokestack.
The Hawkinsville Deepwater Boat Lines used her to move goods between Hawkinsville and Savannah on the Ocmulgee River. Cotton farmers, travelers, and merchants counted on her regular trips.
An old photo from 1897 shows workers loading cotton onto her deck at the Hawkinsville landing.
Tampa Company Bought a Boat That Already Beat the Odds
Gulf Transportation Company of Tampa bought the City of Hawkinsville in June 1900. The boat had already worked 14 years in Georgia, much longer than most riverboats that usually lasted just 4-5 years.
Most steamboats ended up wrecked from fires, explosions, hitting underwater objects, or simply falling apart. The new owners moved her to the Suwannee River during Florida’s lumber boom after hurricane damage.
She found new work hauling timber when most boats her age sat rotting.
No Other Boat on the Suwannee Matched Her Size
The City of Hawkinsville stood as the largest steamboat on the Suwannee River at 141 feet long. Her flat bottom let her travel far upriver while staying strong enough for coastal waters near Cedar Key.
She ran regular trips connecting Branford, Clay’s Landing, Old Town, and Cedar Key.
Lumber companies, naval stores makers, and merchants used her to move turpentine, resin, and supplies that kept the area’s economy going in the early 1900s.
Timber Companies Kept Her Paddlewheel Turning for Decades
Florida’s lumber boom kept the City of Hawkinsville busy for 22 years on the Suwannee. She carried cedar logs for pencil factories and pine lumber from sawmills to shipping points.
The wood-burning boat also moved cotton, tobacco, and peanuts from riverside farms. While most steamboats rotted away or burned within a few years, she kept working year after year from 1900 to 1922.
She Carried Materials That Built Her Replacement
The steamboat hauled building supplies for the Old Town railroad bridge that would make her outdated. Workers took steel, tools, and supplies from her decks to build the bridge across the Suwannee.
Local stories tell how the boat helped build the very thing that would end river shipping. The bridge linked the lower river to Florida’s growing rail system, offering faster shipping options.
Railroads Made Steamboats a Thing of the Past
By the early 1920s, trains took over shipping across Florida. The City of Hawkinsville got fewer jobs as businesses switched to trains.
Boat traffic on the Suwannee dropped too low to cover running costs. Better country roads also let trucks reach places once served only by water.
The aging boat, now in her mid-30s, faced a world where steamboats seemed old-fashioned. Captain Currie and other boat operators couldn’t make money as modern transport took hold.
Captain Currie Left Her in the River After 38 Years
On May 19, 1922, Captain M. Currie walked away from the City of Hawkinsville for good.
He left the boat in the middle of the Suwannee River, just 100 yards below the Old Town railroad bridge. Official records marked the end of her 38-year career, almost eight times longer than most steamboats lasted.
The vessel slowly sank into the river bottom as water leaked through her wooden hull. Her ending closed the chapter on Suwannee steamboats.
The Wreck Sits at an Angle in the Murky Water
The City of Hawkinsville rests on a steep slope in the river today. Her left side sits just 3 feet below the surface in normal water.
The right side lies under 20 feet of water at the bottom. Much of the 141.7-foot hull stays intact, with deck planks still there for divers to see. The remote spot kept the wreck safe from salvage for decades.
River currents, shifting sands, and freshwater helped save her wooden structure.
A High School Principal Saved Her From Obscurity
Mike McCaskill, a high school principal who first dove on the wreck as a teen, put the City of Hawkinsville up for historic status.
His work paid off in 1992 when she became Florida’s third Underwater Archaeological Preserve. The listing marked the first freshwater preserve in the state program.
State workers cleared the site, added mooring buoys, made a plaque, and created brochures about her story. McCaskill turned a forgotten wreck into a protected landmark.
The Government Added Her to the History Books in 2001
The City of Hawkinsville joined the National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 2001. This honor showed her value as an example of late 1800s coastal steamboat design.
Florida law now protects her from damage or taking artifacts. The wooden hull gives fish, American eels, and other river life a home.
The listing papers note her amazing 38-year working life and her role in Georgia and Florida river trade.
Divers Can Touch a Piece of Steamboat History Today
Underwater explorers visit the City of Hawkinsville to see her main deck and machinery. The site requires advanced open water certification because of challenging river conditions.
Visibility ranges from just inches after heavy rain to about six feet when the river runs clear. Divers get the best conditions when the Suwannee measures below four feet at the Wilcox gauge.
The wreck offers a rare chance to see a vessel that survived nearly four decades when most steamboats lasted less than five years.
Her wooden bones tell the story of river commerce that shaped Florida’s development before railroads connected the state.
Visiting City of Hawkinsville, Florida
You can explore the City of Hawkinsville steamboat wreck in the Suwannee River, 100 yards south of Old Town’s railroad trestle in Dixie County.
The site is free to visit year-round, but you need a boat to get there since there’s no land access. Mooring buoys protect the wreck from anchor damage.
If you want to dive, you need advanced open water certification and should check river conditions first at 800-226-1066.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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