Researching HIGHLANDER c.1835 - The Model/ Rex Stewart

             
           Samuel Ward Stanton's drawing of the famed Newburgh, New York steamboat
           HIGHLANDER as she appeared on the Hudson River in 1835.


Newburgh, New York was a booming river town that developed into a monopolized commerce
center for the citizens of the Lower Hudson Valley. Much freight, especially produce and livestock was going south to New York City and steamboats were needed to get those goods to its destination. Furthermore, travelers who needed to commute to various towns found these vessels accommodating for the purpose. This was the era of the 19th century and river commuting was the beginning of a new form of travel.

             Early brothers Bard watercolor depicting HIGHLANDER's 1835 appearance.
           Both renditions had to be carefully studied for accuracy and proper re-configuration
           in order to build an accurate scale model.


While researching and building steamboat models in New York's Capital region during the '80s and '90s, I was fascinated with the discoveries I encountered concerning steamboat designs of the 1830 period. I had built models from the 1840s to the present, but never considered those vessels built past Robert Fulton's CLERMONT.

Many contemporary builders had no knowledge of these early sidewheel types, so no models were available to work from -let alone, plans. Only one such work existed on an early steamboat of this period and that was produced by noted modelmaker Forrest Van Loon Ryder out of Coxsackie, New York during the 1950s. This model was HIGHLANDER, one of several Hudson River steamboats he built for collectors, museums and those interested in these prolific boats.

             A vintage model of HIGHLANDER built by the late Forrest Van Loon Ryder
             which is now on display at the Captain David Crawford House Museum in
             Newburgh, New York. There, five other Ryder models are exhibited; all at
             1/8" = 1' Scale.


In 1980 I was commissioned to copy Mr. Ryder's MARY POWELL for a corporation which  the model later became a topic of conversation with business executives at the time. I then decided to venture out and research MARY POWELL to design my own plan set relative to having an accurate model enter the Hudson Valley. These soon became highend collectibles of note. However, Ryder was my inspiration from which I drew the ability to explore, research and study the American steamboat -beginning with those that operated on the Hudson River.

                HIGHLANDER c.1835 - profile plan at 3/32" = 1' scale. Research for this
                work was based on the brothers Bard watercolor and Samuel Ward Stanton's
                drawing which included supportive dimensional data of the vessel at the time
                of her construction.


In the Fall of 2011 a colector from the Newburgh Region proposed a line of steamboat models which included HIGHLANDER. This proposition became the anticipated opportunity to finally research and build a true 1830 replica of a Hudson River sidewheeler. With the experience and credentials established over a thirty year period, it wasn't difficult to configure this vessel's appearance.

The client was very specific about his collection. He wanted all three sidewheelers to be constructed at 3/32" = 1' scale which made little room for error regarding hull dimensions, beam width and deck layout.

HIGHLANDER was a walking beam type steamer that carried her stacks and boilers on the guards away from the hull. Knowing this fact made plan drawings easier to develop...and within two weeks I was able to produce some prolific plans (for the first time) concerning an early steamboat. I now had the formula for designing these vintage gems.

               Work-in-progress showing the underside features of HIGHLANDER. Notice
               the early design pattern of the Northeast sidewheeler. Most steamboats of
               this period  omitted bottom rims which secured and protected the paddles. It
               is possible that the paddles, including the wheel system, was made of oak -giving
               way to these buckets being bolted to the stems of the wheels so to allow this
               feature to last several years without rotting.

               Port bow view showing HIGHLANDER's auxiliary flagstaff. upon viewing
               several Bard paintings and Stanton drawings, I discovered that this odd
               apparatus was carried and used to attach company house flags and pendants.

              
                 Early steamboat models I built during the '80s and  '90s featured handpainted
               flags made of soft metal. These were treated with acrylic base to prevent
               chipping. In recent times I now apply treated paper flags using the same
               applications. However, the paper flags are more life-like, especially when these
               are folded to give a breeze effect.

                  Maritime artist and shipmodel specialist Rex Stewart carefully applies the
                walking beam engine to the HIGHLANDER model. Nearly 140 seperate
                wood pieces make up this detail.

              
                   Starboard overview illustrates the strengthening process of a steamboat
                 of this period. The blue-colored kingposts, spars and hogframes, reinforced
                 with steel tie rods, were placed in strategic points on the vessel to secure
                 areas where the most strain existed -primarily at the stern and amidship
                 around the paddlewheels. So that this odd structure didn't take away from
                 the steamer's design, the kingposts and spars were adorned with gilded
                 balls and, occasionally woodsculpted eagles.

 

                
                  Port profile of Newburgh, New York steamboat HIGHLANDER c.1835.
                Scratch-built solely in wood at a scale of 3/32" = 1'. 


History:

HIGHLANDER was built for the company of Thomas, Johnson and Wardrop in 1935. Her length on the keel was 160 feet with a beam of 24 feet. Her depth of hold was 8 feet and her overall length was complete at 175 feet.

Made of wood, her hull was built at the shipyard of Lawrence and Sneden in New York. The vertical beam engine was constructed at West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. She carried two boilers on the guards; both of iron. Her paddlewheels were 24 feet in diameter with 10 foot length buckets that dipped 29 inches.

This unique steamboat carried a 'cookie-jar' pilothouse on the skydeck with a fancy bell attachment on the roof behind the gilded eagle ornament which sat center. When she entered service on the Hudson River she was one of the best and fastest boats to run. She operated on the Newburgh-New York Line until the steamer THOMAS POWELL appeared in 1846. HIGHLANDER was then used as an excursion boat and later ran for the Freight and Passage Line between Rondout and New York City until 1852. The following year she was taken south to the Delaware River and used as a towboat before being dismantled in 1866. Her engine was erected in the new towboat replacing her which was named WILLIAM H. ASPINWALL.

Commission work can be honored for any and all Hudson River steamboats. These are fine one of a kind models that accurately define the vessel as it appeared at any given time of its career. For information about my line of work kindly email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137.

To view my work and credentials, visit https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart.

Thanks for viewing.

Hudson Day Line Model PETER STUYVESANT c.1944

           Hudson River Day Line steamboat PETER STUYVESANT heading downriver from
          Kingston, New York c.1933.


When the WASHINGTON IRVING sanked at New York Harbor June 1, 1926, no plans were made by the Hudson River Day Line to replace her. This decision came as a result of financial constraints to build a vessel of similiar size to the IRVING. However, upon vote, it was able to proceed with a smaller steamboat to serve routes in that portion of the Lower Hudson between New York and Pougkeepsie. Also, the company's vision was to expand its charter business.

PETER STUYVESANT was launched February 2, 1927, from the yard of Pusey and Jones at Wilmington, Delaware. Katharine Olcott, daughter of Day Line owner, Eben E. Olcott , sponsored and christened the vessel -giving her its name. Destined to be the last steamboat ever built for the Hudson River, she made her first round trip from New York to Newburgh on a Saturday afternoon, May 28, 1927.

                   PETER STUYVESANT berthed at her New York Day Line Pier c.1951


The PETER STUYVESANT was designed by J.W. Millard and Brother. Combining normal maritime requirements, with added ammenities, she was attractive to organizations wanting charters for various outings. On the second deck was a bandstand, positioned behind the smokestack wall and the cabin, from there, extended further aft to establish a dance floor. Also, tables could be placed in this room to provide extra dining space away from the regular dining area so that sizable groups could be served.

On the third deck, the carpeted saloon was slightly raised so that passengers could view the scenic river without the obstruction from those on the outside. Also arranged on either side of the saloon were eight parlors.

         Port profile work-in-progress view of the 1:160 scale model of PETER STUYVESANT.
        The Saloon Deck is being worked on.

Steel-hulled, she was propellor driven with a single screw. Her measurements were 269 ft. with a 60 ft. beam and a draft of 13 ft.5 inches. She was supplied with steam by four Babcock and Wilcox oil-fired, water-tube boilers.

In September 1932, as a result of the Depression, the Day Line made operational changes to employ PETER STUYVESANT, parttime on the New York-Albany run. Between the seasons of 1948 and '49, the Line was acquired by new owners who maintained regular service up the river as far as Poughkeepsie. In 1955, due to financial constraints, only two steamboats operated on the Hudson: ALEXANDER HAMILTON and PETER STUYVESANT.

Following the season of 1962, ownership changed and the vessels were purchased by New York's Circle Line. In 1963 PETER STUYVESANT was no longer placed in commission and was later acquired by Anthony Athanas, proprieter of a Boston waterfront restaurant, Anthony's Pier 4.

"The Delaware Steamboater" was a piblication that surfaced during the 1980s to bring both awareness and support to the steamboat community relative to vessels that needed preservation.

It was also instrumental in fundraising during a time when many citizens on the East Coast heralded these prolific vessels. Unfortunately, as the decade of the '90s arrived, interest in preserving the steamboat declined and many vessels were lost to the scrap-yards.









In 1968, after necessary conversion, the steamboat was placed in a underwater cradle constructed to provide maximum protection. She served as an annex to accommodate large groups and regular patrons whom were waiting for tables. Her final days ended when a great winter storm clipped the Northeast on February 7, 1978. There, at Boston Harbor, she sanked.

             Author's scale model of PETER STUYVESANT showing her private parlors on
            the promenade deck.


The model that I researched and constructed show the prolific steamboat as she appeared in 1944 during the war years. Travel on the Hudson River was popular and it gave many citizens the opportunity to enjoy their outings and view the scenic river during that troubled period.

                      Stern Port Profile of PETER STUYVESANT, Wood Model -Scratchbuilt

The model is produced in bass and pine woods. Scratchbuilt, it has an overall length of 20 inches.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

Collectible and Rare -The Steamboat Model /Rex Stewart

When New York celebrated its Hudson-Fulton Event in 2007, followed by the NY 400 Celebration of HALF MOON and Henry Hudson's namesake river, every museum and society between Albany and New York City had exhibitions.

From paintings, photographs and models, to fundraisers and lectures. Everything  river-related was shown. But what many facilities didn't have to support these venues were steamboat models. I reviewed every exhibition in the Hudson Valley and discovered only a few good models were shown from the hundred or so I produced in my studio.

These events indicated that those who owned these small gems did not want to part with them for public exhibition. Also on the antique circuit while showing at Brimfield, MA many buyers desired the NANTUCKET model and, when it was sold others who returned to the booth commissioned models that were from other regions in the Northeast. This event also brought awareness that steamboat models were very much in demand, especially to the connessiour who knew these were rare collectibles.

Exploring further, at auctions, few of these items surfaced and to my awe I learned that a simple folk art model sold for $15,000. Occasionally a high-quality detailed model would enter an auction floor and be swooped up by a knowledgeable buyer/collector. A few of my models were recently sold highend or slightly below their original value which dispell the myth that these aren't in demand as contemporary works.

                                 Antique folk art model of a Mississippi sidewheeler.

If one look upon today's shipmodel industry, it's apparent that there are less than twenty or so good models promoted as kits. Some are expensive and others are moderately priced. When built, depending on how much detail is involved, can become a highend collectible. Yet understand that these are kits. Beyond the kit types are models of another class, the scratchbuilt and folkart divisions. Folk art pieces are those works that are crude in appearance and simplistic in detail. However, because of rarity, these are highly sought after. Many were produced during the heydey of steamboating by crew members who wanted display pieces to remember the vessel they served on.

The highend collectible that would be most desirable to the serious buyer would be the thoroughly researched scratchbuilt model. These are called 'special class' or 'builder's models -the best of the best.

     A rare 'Rex Stewart' model of the famous Hudson River sidewheeler DANIEL DREW
    in the corporate boardroom of Bank Of America. A rare steamboat print accents the
    model.


The more famous the vessel...the fewer built as models...the higher the price. Many dealers won't disclose this, but it's a fact.

At the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. there is a Hudson River Day Line model of HENDRICK HUDSON. That model was donated to the Museum by the Olcott family, owners of that Line. However, one of the family heirs commissioned a model from my studio and that model is today exhibited at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, New York. Seldom are these models at auction and few are made.

In the past twenty years steamboat models have exceeded expectations at auction venues -and models that represent the Northeast Corridor of the USA are quickly bidded upon and sold. Furthermore, those collectors whom I visited either owned a steamboat print or painting and desired a model to accent those heirlooms which, in essence, became a nice balance.

       A rare contemporary diorama showing the island steamer NANTUCKET carrying
       passengers to the mainland as it passes a bouy and catboat on a summer afternoon
       in 1890. Wood-sculpted collectible produced at the studio of the author.

Because steamboat collecting is a new trend, brought about in the 1960s; this unique category is fast becoming a field to watch.

           A 'Rex Stewart' model that sold in New York City at Bonham Auction in April
           2011 for $5,538.00. A wood model that was considered high-quality and one of
           the few in its category to supercede other bids.

Some thirty years ago, after producing over a hundred models, I encouraged investors to acquire them. Not so much because I produced them, but because miniature gems were part of an era fading into the annals of history and becoming an Americana heirloom.

The American steamboat, as we know it, is no longer. The only remnant to the Northeast steamer are the scale models I faithfully produce. They can't be copied or found anywhere except in Central Massachusetts where they are researched and built with blueprint-precision.

These are the highend models of today...a rare and valuable collectible of yesteryear, the steamboat.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart