Keith Norrington displays painting at Holiday Open House


photo by museum member Travis Vasconcelos

Keith Norrington (steamboat collections curator), displayed a painting from his own collection at our recent Holiday Open House. He chose a watercolor painting by John Junger of the sunken RIVER QUEEN at St. Louis to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the boat's sinking at St. Louis on December 2, 1967.

The RIVER QUEEN was built at the Howard Shipyard in 1923 as the CAPE GIRARDEAU, for the Eagle Packet Company of St. Louis.

She was sold in 1935 to become the GORDON C. GREENE, operated by Greene Line Steamers, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Gordon C. Greene's master was Capt. Tom R. Greene, son of Capt. Mary Becker Greene, one of very few female steamboat captains. Capt. Mary, although a licensed officer, was really more of a hostess on the boat than an officer, although she could take the wheel when necessary.

In 1952 the boat was renamed as the RIVER QUEEN and was retired to become a restaurant and museum. She sank at St. Louis on December 3, 1967. Her whistle is in the River Museum at Marietta, Ohio.

She appeared in numerous movies, most notably Gone With The Wind , The Kentuckian and Band of Angels, starring Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Burt Lancaster and other movie stars. The Kentuckian was filmed in 1955 on the Green River, while the boat was a restaurant at Owensboro called The Sternwheeler.

Close-up of Painting

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