Durham boats would have been used for transporting freight along the Delaware River and canals of Eastern PA; they are the boats depicted in Emmanuel Luetze's famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware.
Swedish colonists along both shores of the Delaware would have used "church boats" as personnel carriers to worship services. More information here: http://www.swedishheritage.us/Church_Boat.htm
While they were more prominent in the latter half of the 19th Century, these three designs may have had their origins in the 18th Century: The Delaware Tuckup, the Delaware Ducker and the Railbird Skiff. I'm a former owner of a 20th Century Ducker replica, and belong to the local chapter of TSCA (Traditional Small Craft Association) which owns a Tuckup replica. More information here: http://www.tsca.net/delriver/index.html (That's me in my Ducker at far right in the top photo).
Thomas Eakins has painted several nautical scenes that feature Tuckups and Duckers. Google "Sailboats Racing on the Delaware" and "Starting Out After Rail" to see two of them. Last edited on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 04:24 pm by Ned Asplundh |
