The Florenceville

After the sale of the steamers of the People's Line to the New Brunswick Railway Company, and their eventual withdrawal from service, great inconvenience was forced upon the inhabitants of this section of the upper river. In many places the railway did not follow the river route where settlements and farms were located. In reality, the railway only served one side of the river. For many people, the only solution was to revert to towboats, an earlier mode of transportation, and for a time there was more of these vessels on the upper river than there had been before the steamboats made an appearance.

In 1877, the York and Carleton Steamboat Company was formed for the purpose of placing a steamboat on that part of the river. Early in 1878, work was started by John Retallick on the hull near Lunt's Wharf in Fredericton. Work progressed rapidly through the summer and on October 2 the new steamboat was launched and given the name Florenceville. She was then towed to Saint John for the installation of an engine made by James Harris and Co.. She was a stern wheeler with a length of 136 feet, beam of 20 feet, and a capacity of 117 tons. An innovation was the tin used instead of wood to cover the hurricane deck. The stern wheel was 17-1/2 feet in diameter. Upon completion, she spent the winter in Swan Creek.

The Florenceville was placed on the Fredericton-Woodstock route in the spring of 1879 and at once received a heartening volume of traffic. She continued in this service for the next 14 years, when the water was deep enough for navigation during the spring and fall. Since she only drew 3 feet of water when loaded, she was able to operate well into the summer. During the period of low water, she did quite a business making excursions from Fredericton to various places on the lower river. By the end of the season of 1893, she was considered unfit for further service.

The engine was overhauled and placed in the new steamer, the Aberdeen.

A replica of the Florenceville can be found at the Fredericton Regional Museum.