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GOLDENROD (Showboat)
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| Location: | Kampville, Illinois |
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| Built: | 1909 |
| Architect: | Pope Dock Co. |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 67000029 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | December 24, 1967[1] |
| Designated NHL: | December 24, 1967[2] |
On December 24, 1967, the Goldenrod Showboat is a designated U.S. National Historic Landmark. She was placed on the ‘Threatened Historical Landmarks’ list in 2001.
One of two remaining examples of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, the Goldenrod is the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboats. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel shows, vaudeville, and serious drama.
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The boat was built in 1909 by Pope Dock Company of Parkersville, West Virginia for W.R. Markle. It cost $75,000 when it was new. At 200 feet long and 45 feet wide, it had an auditorium 162 feet long with twenty-one red velour upholstered boxes and a seating capacity of 1,400.
In 1910, twenty-one riverboats plied the Mississippi, visiting 15 mid-western states. By 1928, this number had dwindled to eleven, and by 1938, only five remained in operation. Between the Great Depression, movies, and increased mobility, the days of the showboat were all but over.
The Goldenrod was the last showboat to work the Mississippi. Under the ownership of Capt. Bill Menke, she was moored at the St. Louis riverfront in 1937. By 1950, she had been partially sunk and salvaged twice. Shows were still being staged, and, for 75 cents a head, St. Louis playgoers could board the boat and “sass the actors” on stage.[3]
On June 1, 1962, a disastrous fire, caused by an electrical short, all but destroyed the superstructure of the auditorium, and caused severe damage to the entire structure. The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of St. Louis businessmen headed by Frank C. Pierson and Don Franz, and restored to her original glory, and beyond. Plush carpeting was laid in the auditorium, with cabaret seating, under a huge crystal chandelier. Many antique appointments were salvaged from old St. Louis mansions being torn down. Brass fixtures and rails were restored or replaced, as was the tin ceiling and elaborate woodwork. A cocktail lounge was added, with a small bandstand, where the St. Louis Ragtimers band played traditional ragtime for many years. The upstairs staterooms were converted into a buffet dining room. When this $300,000 renovation was completed, the Goldenrod had its Grand Re-Opening in May, 1965. In 1967, she was registered as a National Historic Landmark. Mr. Pierson also owned the ‘Becky Thatcher’, a former packet boat, traveling no more but moored beside the Goldenrod , featuring a restaurant, lounges, and gift shop.
Beginning in the early 1960s to about 1985, the National Ragtime Festival at St. Louis was held in June aboard the Goldenrod. Many vintage jazz and ragtime bands were featured, including Turk Murphy and The Salty Dogs. From 1975 to 1984, the Goldenrod was operated as a sister theater to the Heritage Square Opera House in Golden, Colorado, presenting a unique style of melodrama plus vaudeville olio, in a high energy format created by G. William Oakley of Denver, Colorado. During this same period, the National Ragtime Festivals, produced by Oakley, became an annual phenomenon on the St. Louis riverfront.
In 1989, the boat was purchased by the city of St. Charles for $300,000 and moved to the historic Missouri River town. It was restored and renovated, costing the city about 3.5 million dollars over the next 12 years. The dinner theater continued to operate as a popular attraction. In 2001, the boat was run aground after Missouri River levels ran low. It was closed due to Coast Guard structural repair requirements. The repair estimates were much higher than expected, and the City Council decided to sell the boat in 2002.
When no one offered to buy it, the council decided to give it away. Four groups submitted proposals, and the council chose Lewis and Clark Landing, a firm headed by John Schwarz. The boat was moved to storage near the Poplar Street Bridge in downtown St. Louis. Later it was moved to Kampsville, Illinois, where it is currently (as of July 2011) moored on the Illinois River.
Schwarz’ original intention was to place the boat into a protective basin to be constructed near her mooring location, but the plan never happened. The boat was, instead, towed to a mooring spot next to the tugboat ‘America’, which was owned by Shelia Prokuski and Randy Newingham.
In 2006, a civil suit was filed against Schwarz in an attempt to collect $24,000 in mooring fees owed to Prokuski. The case was supposed to have been settled, with Schwarz retaining ownership of the Goldenrod while he found new mooring for the boat. Schwarz did not move the boat, and it was sold at a sheriff’s auction in October 2007. Since there were no other bids on her, Prokuski bought her for $5,000.
As of January 15, 2008, the showboat‘s future was still uncertain. It remains moored in Calhoun County and mired in court as questions remain about the legality of the sale. The judge, Richard Greenleaf, said the proper paperwork had not been filed for the auction, so he has not signed off on the sale.
The couple want to sell the Goldenrod, but have to wait until the title clears. Though it has been reported they will sell the historic boat for scrap, Newingham has denied this.
In 1943, Nicola Veronica, an award-winning artist, won the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art Gold Medal Award, and the Palette and Chisel Gold Star Award for his watercolor painting of the Goldenrod.
Staff members and performers claimed to have seen a girl in a red dress on many occasions. Nicknamed 'Victoria', the girl had been seen around the boat for many years. As the story goes, a widower worked on the Goldenrod, and raised his only daughter on board. Their staterooms were replaced by what would eventually be known as the banquet room. The girl wanted to be a performer on the boat, but her father did not like the idea. One night, they had a fight about the subject while docked in St. Louis. The girl left the boat that night, and was found next morning floating in the river. Her killers were never found. The father died shortly after.
Reports of the ghost started after these events, and actors and staff members claim that she is responsible for strange things that happen, such as doors slamming and items being moved about. Some claim to have even seen the host.
Several notable entertainers are said to have worked on the Goldenrod during its glory days. Red Skelton was a dockhand, but when an actor fell ill he stood in for him, beginning his long career.
Bob Hope was supposed to have toured with the Goldenrod.
It has also been reported The Goldenrod served as an inspiration for Edna Ferber‘s novel ‘Showboat‘.
The Goldenrod Showboat A Short History
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