Evenings Upstairs Series presents Steamboats and Shipyards Along the Lower Ohio River

Evenings Upstairs Series presents 

Steamboats and Shipyards Along the Lower Ohio River

led by author Robert H. Swenson

Thursday October 1, 2026, 5:30-6:30 PM

In this presentation Swenson will discuss a 60-mile-long section of the lower Ohio River between Smithland and Cairo which includes four major rivers with three confluences at the center of the inland waterways system. This section of the lower Ohio River he refers to as the "Four Rivers Reach", where workers at least seven shipyards built over 290 steamboats.  The Four Rivers Reach and many of its steamboats made significant contributions to American history. Between 
1825 and 1936, the river towns of Smithland, Paducah, Metropolis, Mound City, and Cairo launched 295 wood-hulled, steam-powered vessels. His presentation will draw from a wealth of archival sources, detailed maps and unique photographs. 

Robert H. Swenson is a historic preservation consultant, a retired architect, and an associate professor emeritus of architecture at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His Preservation Summer course was the recipient of a Richard H. Dreihaus Preservation Award from Landmarks Illinois, and he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois State Historical Society. He is the author of From the Center of America Steamboats and Shipyards Along the Lower Ohio River, Southern Illinois Press Published: 05/01/2026