Mamie S. Barrett, Shipwreck of a steel-hulled towboat in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States
The Mamie S. Barrett is a 125-foot steel-hulled sternwheel towboat with a scow bow, built in 1921. It lies beached on land at Deer Park near Vidalia, Louisiana, as a rusted wreck. Its hull was foamed in 1981 to slow deterioration, and a fire in May 2017 caused further damage.
The vessel was built in 1921 at a shipyard in Indiana and initially served as a flagship for river cargo operations. Over the decades, it transitioned through different roles before settling at its current location.
The boat's successive names mark its changes of use: launched as Mamie S. Barrett, it became Penniman with the Army Corps of Engineers in 1937, then Piasa when Lela and Spence Marshall ran it as a floating clubhouse at Harbor Point Yacht Club in West Alton, Missouri, from 1949.
Visiting requires access to private property in Deer Park, so checking ahead is important and respectful. The vessel sits along the riverbank and is visible from certain vantage points, though getting close may not always be easy.
The Mamie S. Barrett was built as a sternwheel towboat with a scow bow and steam engine rig, 125 feet long and 30 feet wide with a draft of only 4 feet 7 inches. In 1981 its hull was foamed over at Lake Barkley to slow decay, and in 1990 plans to turn it into a casino were dropped before it ever operated.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,653 contributors worldwide.