New Mary Powell Exhibit Complete at Maritime Museum

​New Mary Powell Exhibit Complete at Maritime Museum

Visit “Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson” in person or online

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce that the new exhibit “Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson” is now complete. The physical exhibit opened in the fall of 2020, and now the companion online exhibit, complete with interactive timeline, is available to all. 
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For the first time in nearly 100 years, the gang is back together. “The gang” being artifacts from the Mary Powell. Although the museum has many Mary Powell artifacts in its collection, including one of famous steamboat’s lunettes – a decoration from her paddlewheel boxes – new artifact donations and those on loan from other institutions and private collectors are now on display for the first time. Her pilot wheel had long been held at the Senate House State Historic Site, but with assistance from the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the Hudson River Maritime Museum is proud to host the pilot wheel as the centerpiece of this new exhibit. The exhibit also showcases items related to the Anderson family, on loan from the Klyne Esopus Museum. Featuring previously un-exhibited items from the Mary Powell, including an electric lantern from the turn of the 20th century and a newly-donated enamel stove from the captain’s quarters, the new exhibit showcases both the history and nostalgia surrounding the Queen of the Hudson. 

Operating from 1861 until her last season in 1917, the Mary Powell was called “Queen of the Hudson” from the beginning, thanks to her rarely-matched speed, beautiful lines, and the tightly run operation of the Anderson family. Famous in part due to her extraordinarily long career, the Mary Powell was removed from service in 1918 in large part due to coal shortages during World War I. Sold in 1919 and scrapped between 1920 and 1926, the remains of her wooden hull still lay in the mud of Rondout Creek. Even long after she was gone, the “Queen of the Hudson” still loomed large in the memories and imagination of Hudson Valley residents.

Visitors to the Hudson River Maritime Museum can peruse dozens of historic artifacts and images from the Mary Powell. The exhibit also features a large giclee print of Len Tantillo’s new painting of the Port of Rondout, featuring the Mary Powell prominently. Visitors to the museum and online can learn more in-depth stories about the Anderson family, the crew of the Mary Powell, including African Americans, her famous passengers, famous challengers who wanted to race the Mary Powell, enjoy an interactive timeline placing the Mary Powell in historical context, and much more with the museum’s companion online exhibit, available at www.hrmm.org/mary-powell.

“Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson” is supported in part by the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
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The Hudson River Maritime Museum is now open Thursdays through Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the door.