The Waterfront Museum

Big thanks to hour host! The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79, built in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1914, is the only wooden covered barge of its kind left over from “The Lighterage Era (1860-1984).” At one time there were over 5,000 non-self propelled barges similar to her. Today she is the only surviving example afloat today. She was rescued from Edgewater, NJ in 1985 where she had been made obsolete by major shifts in the shipping industry. Prior to that period, railroad companies maintained large fleets of barges to bring goods between railroad terminals, across and along the Hudson River for consumer use, and for shipment overseas. In her fifteen-year history as a showboat and classroom, hundreds of thousands have come to the waterfront to participate in Museum arts and education programs. Sign up for the Museum’s e-newsletter on their homepage and discover more at www.waterfrontmuseum.org or call David at (718) 624-4719.