The Owl, the Deer, and the Eagle….
(Originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2005, Howard Steamboat Museum Newsletter)

Memories of the Curlin Family Steamboat

CHARLEY CURLIN -built in Howard Yards in 1895

We recently received some more photos of the steamboat CHARLEY CURLIN and the family that built it. This is a story that we first printed in the Spring/Summer 2005 edition of the HSM Newsletter. It is the kind of story that made us all happy, and it’s (still) not over yet. Stories like this make working at the Museum worthwhile, meaningful and fun!

One day in 2005, our staff member Katie Stone received a phone call from Mr. Senour Reed of Georgia. He wanted to know if we had a photo of the steamboat CHARLEY CURLIN, which had been owned by his great-grandfather, Seth Curlin. A quick look at Way’s Packet Directory showed that the CHARLEY CURLIN was a Howard-built, 88'x18'x3' packet sternwheel steamboat with a wood hull and that it had been built as a pleasure boat in 1895 for Seth Curlin, a naturalist and taxidermist from Louisville. The cost was $5000.00 and it had 16 staterooms.

Way’s Packet Directory continues... “Seth Curlin invented a canvas folding duck decoy, manufactured them, and the sales paid for the steamboat. The boat was named after his son. Mr. Curlin Sr. had a pilot’s license, hired an engineer, and otherwise the crew was composed of the family.” [Way #0969] When we called Mr. Reed back to tell him we had found, he began to tell us about his amazing ancestor, who had many patents in his name. He also mentioned (as Way's Packet Directory had noted) that his great-grandfather was a taxidermist. We told Mr. Reed that we have some taxidermy specimens from that time period on display in the Museum including an elk, a deer and an eagle and one fire-damaged owl in the attic. Mr. Reed went on to describe the type of work his great-grandfather did. For instance, he would build shadow boxes with the animals displayed in natural settings and his wife would paint backgrounds on silk screen. As he talked, it seemed more and more likely that our owl had been stuffed by his great-grandfather.

Meanwhile, volunteers Lowell Smith, Betsy See and Joni Trusner continued doing research, checking articles in the S&D Reflectors and Clyde Howard’s shipyard log. They found a few references and even a photograph in one of the Reflector articles. Joni found the prize quote in the March 1972 issue of the Reflector: “Mr. Curlin presented Ed J Howard with a golden eagle, a deer head and a great horned owl which he had stuffed.” The Curlin/Reed family is very happy with our find and is considering restoring the owl.

Here are the Clyde Howard log entries from the year 1895 when the CHARLEY CURLEN was built:

09/18:	Began setting up frame for Curlin’s boat
09/21:	Putting hold work in Curlin’s boat
09/23:	Set sheer on Curlin’s boat
09/24:	Bends all on Curlin’s boat
09/30:	Began planking Curlin’s boat
10/04:	Curlin’s boat is planked
10/23:	Cabin stanchions up in Curlin’s boat
10/26:	Laying boiler deck on Curlin’s
11/01:	Getting ready to launch her tomorrow
11/02:	Launched Curlin’s boat. Curlin all on Louisville & Evansville packet
12/09:	Curlin’s little boat “Chas Curlin” made trial trip
12/11:	Curlin’s little boat here yet
12/14:	Curlin’s little boat got away.

Entries in another shipyard log describe the CHARLEY CURLIN:

Cost: $4000.00.
Dimensions: 87 ft long, 18 ft. beam, 3 ½ ft. hold.
Engines: 7x3 ½, Hegewald, $1750.00. 2 Boilers.

Photos of the Curlin Family

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