Goldenrod (showboat)

Goldenrod
Goldenrod in the 1980s
History
BuilderPope Dock Company
Cost$75,000
Launched1909
FateBurned on 21 October 2017
General characteristics
Length200 ft (61 m)
Beam45 ft (14 m)
Goldenrod (Showboat)
Goldenrod (showboat) is located in Illinois
Goldenrod (showboat)
LocationKampsville, Illinois
Coordinates39°20′27″N 90°37′09″W / 39.34083°N 90.61917°W / 39.34083; -90.61917
Built1909
ArchitectPope Dock Co.
NRHP reference No.67000029
Significant dates
Added to NRHP24 December 1967[1]
Designated NHL24 December 1967[2]
Delisted NHLDecember 11, 2023

Goldenrod was a floating theater, known as a showboat, which operated on the Mississippi River and its tributaries throughout the 20th Century. She was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on 24 December 1967 and a St. Louis, Missouri City Landmark in 1972.[3] The boat was placed on the 'Threatened Historical Landmarks' list in 2001. On October 21, 2017, the boat burned to its hull and was sold for scrap.[4][5][6] In a meeting held August 15-16, 2023, the National Park System Advisory Board (NPSAB) recommended to withdraw the National Historic Landmark designation of Goldenrod due to her loss of historical integrity.[7] Her landmark designation was withdrawn in December 2023.

As an example of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, Goldenrod was the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboats. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel shows, vaudeville, and serious drama. The boat was designed in the manner of a 19th-century showboat rather than a late 20th century one, in other words, not like a paddlewheeler steamboat. She was designed in the "Steamboat Gothic" style.[3]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
  2. ^ "Goldenrod (Showboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Goldenrod Showboat". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ Smith, Chris (21 October 2017). "Goldenrod Showboat burns down to its hull". St. Louis: Fox 2. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  5. ^ Hollinshed, Denise (22 October 2017). "Goldenrod Showboat's story appears to be at an end after fire". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  6. ^ Hulsey, Joel. "Historic Goldenrod showboat catches fire, determined to be total loss". KSDK. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  7. ^ "NPS Advisory Board Meeting – Summer 2023". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.