Majestic (riverboat)

The Majestic is a historic riverboat that is moored on the Ohio River near Manchester, Ohio. Built in 1923, she was the last floating theater to be built in the United States, and one of its longest-lived. Declared a National Historic Landmark on December 20, 1989.[2]

Majestic moored at Cincinnati
History
United States
Name: Majestic
Owner: Joe Brumley
Launched: 1923
Acquired: 2019
Out of service: 2013
Status: Moored Performing Arts Theater
General characteristics
Type: Showboat
Draft: 12 in (300 mm)
Propulsion: Diesel sternwheel towboat Attaboy
Majestic (Showboat)
Majestic and Attaboy on the Ohio River in 1943
LocationManchester, Ohio
Coordinates38°38′58″N 83°38′28″W
Built1923 (1923)
ArchitectTom Reynolds[1]
NRHP reference No.80003085[1][2]
Added to NRHPJanuary 3, 1980[1]
December 20, 1989[2]

Description

Majestic is moored on the Ohio River near Manchester Ohio. She is 135 feet (41 m) long, with a beam of 40 feet (12 m) and a draft depth of 5.9 feet (1.8 m). Her wooden hull has been sheathed inside a steel one, and is still visible from within the boat. Its superstructure housing the theater has been little altered since 1969.[3]

History

The last of the original traveling showboats, Majestic was built in 1923 in Pittsburgh,[4] and plied the Ohio River and other portions of its watershed for many years, offering shows at towns along the way. She came as a pair with a tugboat the Attaboy which towed her from venue to venue.[5] Tom Reynolds and his family owned, lived on and ran it until 1959. Reynolds himself was born into an old established showboat family.[6] Tom Reynolds first boat was the Illinois, lost to fire in 1916, which he replaced by building the America.[7]

From 1945 to 1959 there was an academic alliance between the Reynolds family and Hiram College, Kent State University, and Indiana University that allowed the schools to present summer theater experiences for students on Majestic. In December 2014, longtime drama professor, Tom Weatherston, produced a documentary about the alliance and life on the showboat.[8]

Capt. Tom Reynolds sold the Majestic in August 1959 for $30,000[9] to the Indiana University. He had piloted the Majestic on the Ohio, Kansas, Mississippi and Kanawha Rivers for 36 years. That December he was working on the tug Attaboy, moored alongside the Majestic, when it is thought the tug's engine kicked back, and Reynolds lost his footing and fell into the Kanawha river and drowned. He was 71 and had lived on or beside the river his whole life.[6]

Drydocking in Cincinnati

She was forced into dry dock in 1965 by the Safety at Sea Act, which prohibited wooden-hulled vessels from transporting cast and crew on overnight journeys,[5] though by that time the condition of her hull was fast deteriorating. The outer steel hull was added at that time,[5] as were other modernizing conveniences, including air conditioning. While in dry dock, the City of Cincinnati purchased Majestic for $13,500[5] as part of its downtown Cincinnati Central Riverfront show case. She was docked at the Cincinnati Public Landing until March 2019.

Flooding of the Ohio River on February 13, 2020 batters the Majestic
Flooding of the Ohio River on February 13, 2020 batters the Majestic

Post Cincinnati Riverfront

She was purchased in a public auction for over $100K even though it is valued at much less, by Joe and Cortnee Brumley. In December 2019, she will once again be open to the public for public performing art events with the production of "The Majestic Christmas," her first public event since being acquired by from the City of Cincinnati and moved to Manchester, Ohio.[10][11]

On December 11, 2020, The Ledger Independent reported that the owners are considering docking her in Maysville, Kentucky at Limestone Landing, a riverfront landing in a designated entertainment destination known as The Landing at Limestone quarter of Maysville, after discussions with Augusta, Kentucky broke down.[12] In a special meeting of the city council on December 17, 2020, Maysville City Commissioners learned that Joe Brumley had acquired 100% ownership of the Majestic and had formed a 501 3c non-profit to operate the showboat but the board of directors had been dissolved due to lack of communication. The city commission, although was in support of the move, deferred permitting and entering into a lease with Brumley until its non-profit status was resolved and the city knew who it was entering a lease with. Brumley was concerned that the showboat be moved as quickly as possible to prevent damaged from Ohio River floods. The showboat was battered with debris during major flooding in early 2020. The current location at the Moyer Winery is not economically sustainable since the historic winery and tourist attraction burned down in 2019.[13][14]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 30, 2007.
  2. "Majestic (Showboat)". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  3. "NHL nomination for Majestic (riverboat)". National Archive. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  4. "A Walk Through the Historic Showboat Majestic Before It Leaves". Cincinnati Refined. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  5. Klein, Chuck (July 15, 2001). "Keep Majesty of the Showboat". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 66. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  6. "Ol' Man River Gets 'Em. Showboat Captain Tom Reynolds Survives Everything Else - Drowns". The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania). UPI - Point Pleasant W. VA. December 17, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  7. "Summer School Means Boat Trip for Group of Students". The Jackson Sun (Jackson, Tennessee). May 9, 1949. p. 7. Retrieved August 25, 2018. ...captain, Tom Reynolds, is no rookie at showboating. He's been at it for 36 years. His first boat, the Illinois, burned at the pier at Foster, In 1916. The captain's oldest son, Norman, died in that fire. But he went ahead and built another showboat, the America.
  8. "VIDEO-Tom Weatherston and the Showboat Majestic". Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  9. "Students Big Hit in Oldtime Melodramas". The Times (Munster, Indiana). July 10, 1960. p. 9. Retrieved August 25, 2018. John Reynolds, 27, Point Pleasant, W.Va.. towboat skipper. Reynolds offered to spend 40 days of his vacation as Majestic captain. He has sentimental reasons for following the' Majestic. He and his two brothers and one sister were born on the boat, and the family formed their own troupe, playing melodrama up and down half & dozen rivers as recently as 1952. His father, the late Capt. Tom Reynolds, sold the Majestic to the university.
  10. Independent, Ledger (December 5, 2019). "Showboat Majestic to hold first public event". Ledger Independent – Maysville Online. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  11. Independent, Ledger (December 2, 2019). "Guests get peek at Showboat Majestic". Ledger Independent – Maysville Online. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  12. Independent, Ledger (December 11, 2020). "Showboat may make Maysville its home". Ledger Independent – Maysville Online. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. Indenpendent, Ledger (December 18, 2020). "Showboat move hits a snag". Ledger Independent – Maysville Online. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. Brookbank, Sarah. "Fire badly damages Moyer Winery, the planned dock of Showboat Majestic". The Enquirer. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
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