River Queen
Sidewheel Steamer · United States · Lost 1911 · The Potomac & the Virginia Chesapeake
A historic 1864-built steamer, once the site of a Civil War peace conference and later a pioneering Black-owned Potomac excursion boat, burned at her Washington dock in 1911.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1864, River Queen first gained fame as the site of an unsuccessful 1865 peace conference between President Lincoln and Confederate representatives, and of a later meeting between Lincoln and his generals. By the century's end she had been remodeled for day-long excursions serving African American passengers traveling to Black-only Potomac River resorts such as Notley Hall. In May 1911, Washington entrepreneur Lewis Jefferson purchased her to expand his excursion business. Only weeks later, on the night of July 8, 1911, she caught fire while tied up at her Washington dock and burned to a blackened hull; her machinery was salvaged and the remains scrapped.
Vessel
- 1864
- Not established
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- Wood
- 181 ft
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- Steam, side wheel
- Lewis Jefferson (owner from May 1911); Capt. George Baggett
Loss
- July 8, 1911
- Fire
- Steamer dock, Washington, D.C., Potomac River
- Potomac River
- Not established
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- George Baggett
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Hull burned to a hulk; machinery was subsequently removed and the remains dismantled for scrap
- Not established
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Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Washington, D.C.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
Because the burned hull was dismantled and removed rather than left in place, no physical wreck site exists to document; this record covers the vessel's documented loss by fire rather than a surviving wreck.
City of Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria African American Heritage Trail ("The River Queen")
Build date, dimensions, ownership, excursion history, and fire loss details
