California Boatyards
The California Boatyards was a boatyard in California, Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River.[1]
  | |
| Location | California Area Public Library Wood Street California, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40.0681°N 79.88921°W |
| PHMC dedicated | June 18, 1994[1] |
From the beginning on the California, Pennsylvania in the 1780s, California was the site of logging and had sawmills.[2] The sawmills were later used to support the shipbuilding industry.[2] The boatyards, which were active from 1852 to 1879, were best known for the construction of steamboats used for western trade along the Ohio River.[1] During the active period, 131 boats were built, with 74 in the 1850s alone.[1] The boatyards ceased operation in 1879 when the Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway acquired the riverside for a right-of-way.[1]
On June 18, 1994, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected a historical marker at the California Area Public Library, a former railroad passenger station near the former location of the boatyards.[1]
The marker was sponsored by the Monongahela River Bluffs Association.[3]
References
- "California Boatyards - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original (Database search) on December 7, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- Parker, Arthur (1999). "Some Upper Valley Towns". The Monongahela: River of Dreams, River of Sweat. Canada: Penn State University Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780271018751.
- "Remembering the Past". California, Pennsylvania. Arcadia Publishing. 2003. p. 32. ISBN 9780738511542.
