Account Book of the Hudson and Athens Ferry

Item — Container: Manuscript Shelves

Identifier: MV 1717

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Item is a ledger of accounts of the "Horse Boat" and "Small Boat" operated as ferries between the Village of Athens and City of Hudson between 1820 and 1838. Included within are revenues from each boat as well as names of those compensated for operating the ferry and servicing it. The most notable aspect of this ledger is the level of detail included in the accounting of revenues and debts, and the vast list of names of those involved with supplying and operating the Hudson-Athens Ferry at this early date.

Dates

Majority of material found in 1820-1838

Biographical / Historical

The Hudson-Athens Ferry predates the incorporation of both the City of Hudson and Village of Athens, and employed a vessel known as a "Team Boat" or "Horse Boat" powered by some sort of livestock treadmill since at least 1815. Prior to this date the ferry service employed a large rowing scow of some variety, and it seems this service was carried on through the 1820s alongside the larger and more powerful Horse Boat exclusively for the benefit of pedestrians without freight. This service was replaced by a steam powered ferry named the John T. Waterman circa 1859, which was in turn rapidly replaced by the steam ferry George H. Power at the end of the Civil War.