At this place: the Sprague

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Built in 1901, the Sprague was once the world’s largest steam-powered sternwheeler towboat. Nicknamed “Big Mama,” it was capable of pushing 56 coal barges at once. In 1907, the Sprague set a world record by towing 60 coal barges, totaling 63,307 tons.

After 46 years on the river, the Sprague was converted into a museum and served as a filming location for the movie Showboat. For decades, the Vicksburg Theatre Guild staged its famous melodrama Gold in the Hills aboard the vessel.

The steamboat was destroyed by fire in 1974, but parts of it can still be found at locations throughout Vicksburg.

The Old Courthouse Museum features an extensive collection of historic photographs from Vicksburg and Warren County. For those interested in obtaining a print for home or business, the museum offers reproduction services.

Starting in 2022, Chris Bolm began to take images from the Old Court House Museum‘s photo collections and pinpoint their current locations and replicate the shot. Bolm named the series “Then and Now.”