In Search of Ferries…and More

Ferries…a truly endangered species

First, when I am talking about ferries, I mean blue collar, working class, riverboat ferries. These ferries are typically in some remote area where the nearest bridge is inconveniently distant. These ferries used to be a common site throughout our country. But, over the last century, improvements in our infrastructure technology (i.e. building bridges) have led to the elimination of most riverboat ferries. Today, working riverboat ferries are a true endangered species. As opposed to polar bears who are called an “endangered species” even through their numbers are increasing. Sorry, I digress. Riverboat ferries are fading Americana at its best. So, before they are all gone, I packed up the blog mobile and went in search of ferries…and more.

Brown-Augusta Ferry

They say…”you never forget your first.” The Brown-Augusta Ferry was my first Ohio Riverboat ferry. My first comment on this ferry is that I have no idea what “Brown” is. The closest town on the Ohio side is Georgetown. And, the ferry goes to Augusta, Kentucky. I never discovered what “Brown” referred to. Anyway, it was early morning when I found the departure point. I drove down the river bank and the ferry was parked and waiting for me. I did not know what I was supposed to do…so I stopped on the bank. Eventually, the riverboat captain looked at me like I was stupid and waved me on the boat. I was alone on the boat. As soon as I was on board, the captain took off for the other side.

As for the facts…the ferry is named Jenny Ann. It has been in operation at this location since 1798 (probably not the original boat). And, once I was on board, the guy collected $7 for the one way journey. While I have no idea what the “Brown” means, I do know the significance of Augusta. That would be Augusta, Kentucky, birthplace and home of Rosemary Clooney. For those too young to know Rosemary Clooney…perhaps you know her slightly more famous nephew, George Clooney. George was raised here and graduated from Augusta High School.

Anderson Ferry

While the Brown-Augusta ferry was out in the middle of nowhere and seemed to have very little purpose, the purpose of the Anderson Ferry is more apparent. The Anderson ferry is 8 miles west of Cincinnati. The ferry was founded by George Anderson in 1817. It’s the last surviving ferry serving the businesses and markets of Cincinnati. Basically, it’s a convenient way to avoid the crowded highways and bridges into Cincinnati from northern Kentucky. This ferry cost me $5 and was far more utilized than the earlier ferry.

Rising Star Ferry

I will keep this short as these ferries all start looking alike. However, of all the ferries visited, the Rising Star Ferry (i.e. “Lucky Lady”) seemed to have the most obvious purpose and the brightest future. In fact, this ferry is so important that they do not even charge a fee. The Rising Star Ferry connects southern Indiana to northern Kentucky. But, most importantly, the Rising Star ferry transports degenerate gamblers trapped on the wrong side of the river over to the Rising Star Casino in southern Indiana.

…and More

One of the most important guiding principles of this blog is….”it’s the destination AND the journey.” In other words, pay attention to the unique and interesting things in your path of travel. Most of these things don’t justify a road trip on their own. But, if you are in the neighborhood, you might as well take a look. My search for ferries along the Ohio river took most of the day. In that one day of travel alone, I encountered a cornucopia of interesting and unique travel sites along my route.

First, I drove through the small, quaint town of Georgetown, OH. There you will find the boyhood home and school of Ulysses S. Grant. In Georgetown, they celebrate all things USG…

Elsewhere in Ohio,..for reasons not clear to me…some guy in Hillsboro, OH, wanted to have the largest horseshoe crab in his yard. See the picture below if you do not believe me. Also, if that wasn’t exciting enough, I also passed by (as in…did NOT visit) the Rosemary Clooney (i.e. George’s Aunt) museum.

My highlight of the day was a stop in Rabbit Hash, KY. This is the Kentucky departure point for the Rising Star ferry. More importantly, this small town has become famous for it’s tradition of electing dogs for Mayor. I am a big fan of Mayor Wilbur, the French Bulldog, that is the incumbent mayor of Rabbit Hash through 2024. Naturally, I had to stop by Rabbit Hash’s historic General Store. Once inside, I discovered that the campaigning against my hero, Mayor Wilbur, has already started.

Come to think about it, given my likely choices for our upcoming Presidential election, perhaps electing a dog is a really good option.

Wrap It Up

There you go. That is my road trip in search of ferries…and more. The take home messages from this blog are two fold. One, the classic riverboat ferries are disappearing Americana. Go see them now before it’s too late. Two, always look for those extra little slices of Americana as you travel to your destination. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed reading “In Search of Ferries…and More” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

There can never be enough blog posts on Rabbit Hash https://travelingwithpt.com/forget-biden-trump-its-about-wilbur/

Here’s the website for the Brown Augusta Ferry in the unlikely event you are near by https://www.augustaky.com/augusta-ferry

p.s. I almost forgot one of my ongoing road trip quests. Whenever I travel the nation, I am always on the lookout for Muffler Men…also known as American Giants. I caught this one at Trader’s World, just off I-75, north of Cincinnati.