James Rumsey’s First Steamboat Success at Shepherdstown
Twenty years before Robert Fulton made history, James Rumsey did it first.
In 1787, this West Virginia innkeeper stunned onlookers when his strange boat moved upstream on the Potomac River without sails or oars. George Washington had seen it coming.
Back in 1784, he wrote that Rumsey’s model could bring “the greatest possible utility” to river travel.
On December 3, as the boat reached four knots against the current, General Horatio Gates shouted, “My God, she moves! ” Even Benjamin Franklin backed Rumsey, helping form a society to fund his jet-propulsion design.
The historic waters of Shepherdstown still hold this forgotten story of American innovation.
James Rumsey Set Up Shop in Bath County
James Rumsey moved from Maryland to Bath (now Berkeley Springs), West Virginia, around 1782.
He ran an inn called “Sign of the Liberty Pole and Flag” while working as a blacksmith, mill fixer, canal builder, and builder.
The skilled maker built the first real bathhouses at Berkeley Springs for visitors who came for the healing waters. His name as a smart builder grew quickly in the frontier Virginia community.
The First Meeting Between Washington and Rumsey Changed Everything
George Washington stayed at Rumsey’s inn in September 1784 while checking out the western frontier. During this visit, Rumsey showed Washington a small wooden model steamboat moving upstream in Warm Spring Run.
Washington liked it so much that he hired Rumsey to design and build a house for him at the springs, though they never finished it.
This meeting created a key relationship that later gave Rumsey’s inventions serious backing when he needed help.
America’s First President Backed Rumsey’s Wild Idea
Washington wrote in his diary on September 6, 1784 about Rumsey’s boat model working on the water. The next day, he gave Rumsey a written note backing his boat invention.
This paper became key for Rumsey when asking for money from investors and state lawmakers. Washington openly supported Rumsey over rival maker John Fitch, giving him a big edge.
Shepherdstown Became Home Base for Rumsey’s Big Tests
Rumsey moved from Bath to Shepherdstown to be closer to the Potomac River for testing his full-sized steamboat. Washington got him the job of boss of the Patowmack Company in July 1785.
This job let him clear river blocks while making a boat that could use the better waterway. His brother-in-law Joseph Barnes started building the hull in Bath in 1785.
Building the Steamboat Proved Harder Than Expected
The first pole-boat design showed too many limits, forcing Rumsey to switch to steam power. This change made the boat much more complex and costly than he first planned.
He had parts made in Baltimore and Frederick. His first test at Shenandoah Falls got pushed back due to bad weather and then didn’t work well when they finally tried.
These setbacks tested Rumsey’s drive but didn’t stop him.
Water Jets, Not Paddle Wheels, Powered Rumsey’s Boat
Rumsey created a new jet push system using a steam-powered pump.
His design took water through the front and pushed it out under pressure at the back to move the boat forward. This approach was totally different from the paddle wheel systems other makers were working on at the time.
After finishing the boat, Rumsey brought it to Shepherdstown for final prep and the public show.
Witnesses Gasped When the Boat Moved Upstream
On December 3, 1787, Rumsey ran the first good public show on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown.
Key witnesses included General Horatio Gates, Colonel William Darke, Colonel Joseph Swearinger, and future Ohio Governor Jeremiah Morrow.
When the boat reached three miles per hour going upstream against the current, Gates said, “My God, she moves. ” This happened twenty years before Robert Fulton’s famous Clermont.
The Second Test Proved Rumsey Wasn’t Just Lucky
A second show on December 11, 1787, carried over three tons of cargo aboard. The boat reached four miles per hour against the Potomac current and ran for two hours.
Witnesses including Charles Morrow, Rev. Robert Stubbs, Henry Bedinger, and Abraham Shepherd signed papers confirming what they saw.
This run showed skeptics that steamboat tech could work for business, not just as a novelty.
Benjamin Franklin Helped Form a Support Group for Rumsey
Washington and other backers urged Rumsey to look for more funding for his invention. Rumsey traveled to Philadelphia where he got help from Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin and other big names created the Rumseian Society to push Rumsey’s steamboat and other inventions. The Society gave money and political support for more growth.
Patent Fights Sent Rumsey Across the Atlantic
A patent fight broke out with rival maker John Fitch, who showed his own steamboat in Philadelphia in 1786.
Thomas Jefferson, looking at many patent requests, gave non-exclusive patents to all steamboat makers rather than picking a winner.
The Rumseian Society told Rumsey to go to England to protect his patents and get more funding. Rumsey spent four years in London working to turn his ideas into products.
Death Came Just Before Rumsey’s Moment of Glory
Rumsey delivered a lecture to London’s Society of Arts about steam navigation on December 20, 1792.
Right after, he suffered a sudden bad headache and died on December 21, 1792, just before his scheduled demonstration on the Thames River.
The Columbia Maid steamboat demonstration went ahead after his death, proving his design worked.
Rumsey was buried at Saint Margaret’s Church in London, and his revolutionary contribution faded from memory while Robert Fulton later claimed the fame that should have been Rumsey’s.
Visiting Shepherdstown Historic District, West Virginia
You can explore James Rumsey’s steamboat history at the Historic Shepherdstown Museum on East German Street corner of Princess Street.
The museum is open Saturdays 11am-5pm and Sundays 1pm-4pm from April through October with a $5 suggested donation.
Check out the 75-foot granite James Rumsey Monument overlooking the Potomac River at Mill Street end, plus take a 59-stop self-guided walking tour through 386 historic buildings from the late 1700s.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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