http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2004080626
Charleston Gazette-Mail
7 August 2004
By Jennifer Ginsberg, Staff Writer
A common sight on the Kanawha River for many decades, the P.A. Denny sternwheeler is leaving Charleston.
Instead of carrying people for private parties and public cruises, the boat will soon carry children for educational trips in Ohio.
ORSANCO Educational Foundation of Cincinnati is leasing the Denny and will turn it into a floating science classroom for the Ohio River.
The Denny is churning its way to Cincinnati today.
"It was a good place for her," said the Denny's owner, 81-year-old Lawson Hamilton. "It's a very worthwhile project, and I'm getting a little age on me."
The floating classroom program will feature Ohio River-focused lessons in science, mathematics, social sciences and history. Students will do hands-on activities like learning to detect and resolve river pollutants while on board the boat.
The program begins in the spring and focuses mainly on high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. ORSANCO plans to later expand the program to include students from fourth to 12th grades and their teachers from counties along the Ohio River.
"This will be a great opportunity for students throughout the entire Ohio River Valley to learn about the many aspects of the Ohio River," said Jeanne Ison, director of the ORSANCO Educational Foundation. "Students will not only learn about the Ohio River ecosystem, but also how the river operates and even river job opportunities."
The P.A. Denny has gone through several name changes. The boat was built in 1930 and known as the Scott, after Addison Scott, the New York engineer responsible for the original Kanawha River locks built in the 1800s. Then, Peter Anthony Denny, a coal operator, bought the Scott, rebuilt it and renamed it Robin D Too. Hamilton bought the boat in 1975 and renamed it the P.A. Denny.
"She's been active in Charleston every year since then, except one year [when] we let her go to the New Orleans Worlds Fair," Hamilton said of the almost 30 years he's owned the boat.
The 243-passenger, three-decked sternwheeler raced in every Charleston Sternwheel Regatta from 1975 until recently, Hamilton said. Last fall, the boat's captain and crew retired, and Hamilton said he couldn't seem to find another good crew to run her.
The lease-to-purchase agreement with ORSANCO is for two years, Hamilton said. The Denny could always churn its way back to Charleston, if the floating science classroom idea sinks.
But Ison is hoping the project survives. It will be funded through grants, corporate sponsorships, in-kind contributions and Friends of the Ohio member contributions.
"We're hoping it's going to take off and be a great thing for the entire Ohio River Valley."
To contact staff writer Jennifer Ginsberg, use e-mail or call 348-5195.