Returning a paddlewheeler to the Apalachicola River and surrounding coastal waters has been part of our vision since the museum's refounding in 2007.  Paddlewheelers were first used on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System to transport cotton from growers to international markets beginning in the early 1800s. They also carried passengers, mail, merchandise, produce, fertilizer, oysters, and other goods up and down the river, stopping at landings along the way.  The river was  the corridor of travel and trade for approximately a century, until railroad lines became more prevalent. As we revive commercial river travel, passengers will be able to experience this historic mode of travel first hand, and will have the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty of the area in a unique way.

 We began searching in earnest last year as our dock, which was specially designed with a 3 x5 railing system and support struts to accommodate this type of heavy steel vessel, was completed.  We had begun designing our own paddlewheeler with naval architect Kevin Kerwin and had a public forum as a planning session.  We conducted a survey of attendees on the types of amenities and trips they would be interested in.  As excitement continued to build in early May, we were presented with the opportunity to acquire an antique paddlewheeler, the Jean Mary.  

 The Jean Mary is a modern riverboat built to recreate the elegance and romance of the bygone era of intercoastal and river passagemaking. A prominent southern family commissioned the design by respected naval architect Jack Hargrave of Fort Lauderdale.  Designed to be an authentic reproduction steam powered vessel, she was constructed in Birmingham and launched in 1983 as Patty Gordon. 

We recently received the design drawings from the Hargrave Company, and they can be viewed on our website . The nearly one hundred pages of engineering drawings and sketches include details of how to actually construct the steam engine power plant and compulsion system.   

The salon.

Her gracious accommodations include six luxurious staterooms with private baths, a gorgeous mahogany paneled salon featuring a working fireplace, elevator access to the upper deck for magnificent views, and a dining room with authentic touches such as brass hardware, antique chandeliers, and hardwood floors.  The Texas Deck offers seating for large groups. Click here to see video of this opulent vessel.

From trophies to tragedy

She logged many miles traversing the inland waterways of the Mississippi and went on to become a coastal cruiser, traveling to many steamboat regattas and events. We uncovered trophies, plaques, and award certificates from as far away as Charleston, South Carolina and Texas, thus demonstrating her ability to handle coastal waters. Along the way, her steam power plant was converted to a diesel hydraulic system, and she came to reside at the the St. Augustine-Jacksonville, Florida area, where she ran commercial charters.  Then, famed actress Debbie Reynolds fell in love with the boat and arranged for her to be acquired by the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum and transported to California. 

Then tragedy struck, and the elegant paddlewheeler sank at her slip during a storm in 6 feet of water. Quickly hauled out, she was recovered and her operational systems were largely repaired. But from there on she languished at a dock at Green Cove Springs on the St. Johns River. 

Then a miraculous thing happened, when Ken Klein, long time museum volunteer and master captain, happened to notice her at the docks and saw the opportunity. Ken did the initial diligence to determine ownership and current status of the vessel. When we first found her, she was a pitiful sight, where the signs of neglect were everywhere. With the info provided by Ken, we contacted the owner, Todd Fisher, son of Debbie Reynolds, and CEO of the Hollywood Museum.  

We felt that the Jean Mary could be recovered with the diligent crew at the AMM, and with the encouragement of Todd Fisher, things began to rapidly fall into place for a charitable contribution of the vessel to the AMM.   The title was transferred through U.S. Coast Guard paperwork in late April. We retained the services of a marine surveyor, identified by Ken Klein, in Jacksonville, who began to help us coordinate our haul out and renovation efforts to prepare her for travel to Apalachicola.

The good will and kindness which began with Ken Klein and continued with the charitable donation by Todd Fisher and the Motion Picture Museum continues to manifest with the enthusiasm and philanthropic support of everyone who is touched by this restoration project. As our marine surveyor was looking for haul out locations, he came across another charitable spirit in the form of Bronson Lamb, a longtime operator of St. Johns Boat Yard and other maritime facilities on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. Bronson provided free usage of his tow boat, which transported the Jean Mary to his facility, and haul out and stowage on his 200 ton marine rail at cost. Bronson has enthusiastically assisted with renovation efforts and helped coordinate among museum staff, surveyor, and renovation contractors who will be performing a thorough renovation of the steel framed and hull and tankage and paddlewheel elements of the boat. 

In late May, a crew of seven from the AMM, including staff and volunteers, travelled for a three day work project to begin the renovation of cabin and wooden structures throughout the vessel. We also visited the Hargrave Yacht design team in Ft. Lauderdale to coordinate the digital scanning of the original design documents.

Future plans

Our marine surveyor is preparing a bid request package. We expect 6-8 firms to compete for the work, which will begin in the coming weeks, to complete the steel components. Once the steel work is underway we will be continuing our efforts on the electronics, mechanical, and woodwork and cabin and plumbing systems. We are hopeful that all key elements to allow passage from Jacksonville to Apalachicola will be completed by September, whereupon the Jean Mary will make passage from the St. Johns Boat Yard to the AMM docks.  The passage will go down the east coast Intercontinental Waterway, across the Lake Okechobee waterway, then up the west coast passage to Tarpon Springs. Once there, we will await calm weather to allow passage across the open gulf into Apalachicola.

The upper decks will provide excellent scenic views.

Upon arrival in Apalachicola, the Jean Mary, once known as Patty Gordon, will accept her third and final name, the Samuel A. Floyd, in honor of one of the original riverboat captains and entrepreneurs on the river system and great-grandfather of museum founder George Kirvin Floyd.

The Samuel A. Floyd will be kept at the museum docks while undergoing renovation of cabin and woodwork, etc. before making a grand opening to the public in the spring of 2013. After all renovations are complete, we plan to establish standing passenger service along the coastal waters and upriver on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers to the maritime museum location at Chattahoochee and on to Columbus, Georgia, historic sister city of Apalachicola.

Donors and Sponsors

We would like to give thanks to many individuals and companies who have helped make this dream a reality: 

• Ken Klein, who through some form of magic and miracle found the Jean Mary, or should we say, the Jean Mary found him so she could find her new home and return to her former beauty:
• Todd Fisher, who from the first moments of our conversation, was an abundance of knowledge and enthusiastic support for the Jean Mary to find her home in Apalach. Todd, an electrical engineer by training, and staff from the Hollywood museum, restored the electrical systems after the sinking. He guided Ken and the surveyor through firing up the engines in the early days of Ken's due diligence, and has offered much counsel throughout the early stages of our planning of renovation efforts.
• Bronson Lamb, who generously provided use of his tow boat for transport of the Jean Mary to his boatyard, along with haul out services and storage.
• Hollywood Printing, who performed the digital scanning of the design drawings at cost.
• Robert Monaco, who volunteered on our initial work crew.

Local residents of Apalachicola may have noticed that the roof and siding of the historic Popham building have been repaired as our first efforts of a more complete renovation program that will support maritime trades in Apalachicola. 

Constructed in the late 1920s, the Popham Oyster Factory was a two-story oyster packing facility owned by William Lee Popham, oyster entrepreneur and first developer of St. George Island.  The facility and adjoining lot, where the Golden Ball will be restored, were both purchased with a grant from the Florida Communities Trust to support working waterfront programs. 

Our immediate plans, after getting a certificate of occupancy from Franklin County, are to make the building a facility for the display of traditional maritime craft of the  coastal areas surrounding Apalachicola.  In 2009, we commissioned a study by an historic renovation architect to prepare for a full renovation of the facility. The study suggested that the facility be moved to the lot next door, and have concrete supports installed.  This ambitious project would cost almost $750,000, and although will not be initiated anytime soon, we expect to be able to use the facility for displays. 

Ultimately it will house a wooden boat building facility as part of the historic working waterfront. The top floor may be used as a classroom and administrative office.