Lehigh Valley Barge No 79 (The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge)
Original use: Railroad barge
Current use: Waterfront museum and showboat
Built: 1914
Dimensions: LOA 86' - Beam 30' - Draft 3' - Freeboard 8'
Displacement: 160 tons
Construction: Wood
Speed: Depends on the tug towing her (4-5 knots preferred)
Current power: None (intended to be towed)
History: The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge #79 was built in 1914. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only floating wooden covered barge of its kind restored and ready to receive visitors. It functions as the home of the Hudson Waterfront Museum, a floating classroom, a showboat, and an art exhibition space. Together with developer Greg O'Connell, an ambitious group of volunteers has transformed a former dumping area in Red Hook, Brooklyn into what has been cited by the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition as "an ideal example of open space and waterfront access which provides an excellent complement to waterfront development".
Website: www.waterfrontmuseum.org
Status: National Register of Historic Places
Skipper: David Sharps
Contact: 718 624 4719 or dsharps@waterfrontmuseum.org