America's First Iron Steamboat
Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The "Codorus," built in York by John Elgar, was launched at present-day Accomac on the Susquehanna River, Nov. 22, 1825. The site is about two miles distant.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the 1820s, iron was an exotic material for shipbuilding, when nearly every hull afloat was made of wood. Yet in York, machinist John Elgar built the "Codorus," an iron-hulled steamboat, and launched it onto the Susquehanna on November 22, 1825. Named for a nearby creek, the little vessel is remembered as the first iron steamboat built in the United States.
Why it matters
The Codorus marked an early American experiment in metal shipbuilding, a technology that would eventually transform river, lake, and ocean travel and give rise to the modern steel ship.
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Related people
- · John Elgar
Related events
- · Launch of the steamboat Codorus, 1825
Themes & tags
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