Rumsey Monument - Shepherdstown, WV

Rumsey Monument - Shepherdstown, WV A granite column overlooking the river in Shepherdstown is dedicated to James Rumsey, the Potomac’s own pioneer of steam navigation.

Rumsey was born in Cecil County, Maryland in 1743, and moved to the town of Bath, Virginia (now Berkeley Springs, West Virginia) in 1782. He built an inn and general store as well as other buildings and mills. George Washington named him chief engineer of the fledgling Patowmack Navigation Company, an attempt to promote navigation in the upper Potomac and open the West. Rumsey helped design the lo

cks of the Patowmack Canal at Great Falls. In 1785, Rumsey moved his workshop to Shepherdstown and built a boat with an engine that was powered by steam. On December 3, 1787, Rumsey successfully demonstrated the boat against the current of the Potomac at Shepherdstown, 20 years before Robert Fulton’s effort. In search of financing, Rumsey traveled to Philadelphia and England, where he built a 100-foot prototype of the steamboat. Unfortunately, he died suddenly after appearing before a London business group, and his competitor Robert Fulton—who demonstrated his boat on the Hudson River and got far more publicity—received credit for the first steamboat.

Some Springtime photos at the monument
04/20/2020

Some Springtime photos at the monument

Thanks Ashley Kibler for the great photo!
10/10/2018

Thanks Ashley Kibler for the great photo!

Did you know the Rumsey Steamboat Museum was built in 1988 to house the Rumseian Experiment, a working replica of James ...
08/16/2017

Did you know the Rumsey Steamboat Museum was built in 1988 to house the Rumseian Experiment, a working replica of James Rumsey’s 1787 steamboat?

Located behind the Entler Hotel, the Rumsey Steamboat Museum was built in 1988 to house the Rumseian Experiment, a working replica of James Rumsey’s 1787 steamboat constructed for the bicentennial of Rumsey’s original, in 1987. Built to resemble stables for the Hotel, the Steamboat Museum houses bo...

Storms rolled through Sunday afternoon
07/24/2017

Storms rolled through Sunday afternoon

05/23/2017
01/12/2014
01/12/2014

The fog flowing down the river was amazing.

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Mill Street
Shepherdstown, WV
25443

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