Lecture: "Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson"

"Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson"

Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 7:00 PM

Virtual Via Zoom

$5/person | HRMM Members FREE

Have you ever wondered how the Mary Powell got so famous? Learn about the economic and social conditions that led to her construction, the lives of her owners and captains, and why she was “Queen” from the beginning. From the beginning of the Civil War to the U.S. entrance into World War I, the Mary Powell oversaw it all. Hosting famous passengers like President Ulysses S. Grant and Walt Whitman, leading national events like the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, and fending off multiple challenges to her throne. Beloved until the end, the post-WWI “death” of the Mary Powell inspired eulogies and poems from fans locally and around the world, and she continued to represent the golden age of steamboating on the Hudson River long after she was gone.

Speaker Bio:

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is the Director of Exhibits & Outreach at the Hudson River Maritime Museum and researched and wrote much of the text for the museum’s exhibit, “Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson.” She is the editor and co-author of Hudson River Lighthouses (2019) and editor of the museum’s Pilot Log and History Blog. She has an MA in Public History from the University at Albany and a BA in History and Scandinavian Studies from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.  

Program information:

This program is being presented  virtually via Zoom. You will receive the link to the Zoom meeting in your registration confirmation email. Please save that email to access the virtual lecture.

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