4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TU
CURRENT EVENTS:
4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TUART
100 West Broadway • Frankfort, Ky. 40601 • 502.564.1792 • www.history.ky.gov Connections. Perspective. Inspiration. The Kentucky Historical Society is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
www.history.ky.gov
CURRENT EVENTS:
4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TUART The Ohio was the first river highway of the frontier. Settlers poled down the Ohio and up its tributaries on flatboats, rafts, and dugouts. By 1790, Kentuckians were shipping goods down the Ohio to the Mississippi. Warehouses sprang up to gather cargo for the spring “tides� when high water would allow navigation to the Ohio. Kentucky’s trade with New Orleans by 1802 passed $1.2 million per year.
“It is now eludct and am just beginning to write, should have begun on last Saturday evening but for various avocations.� The code works like this: E=F U=R L=I D=D C=A T=Y. When decoded, the word is FRIDAY.
Flatboats were sturdy vessels built of squared, hardwood timbers. Upright timbers set on top of the hull were enclosed and covered with a roof to form a shelter. Often forty feet long, the boat was steered by a long pole called a sweep. Flatboats floated at the mercy of the current in one direction—downstream. Once they reached their destination, crew members sold the cargo, broke up the boat, sold the timber, and returned home on foot. Climb aboard an 1806 flatboat and journey with John G. Stuart as he makes his way across the waters of the Kentucky, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers before landing in New Orleans and then walks back home to Kentucky. Based on the diary accounts of the 23 year-old, the play follows his five-month-long journey and brings to life Stuart’s encounters with drought, floods, fighting, and fatigue. In his journal, John described the changing landscape, differences in wildlife and people, and the troubles that occurred along the way. John also kept secrets in his diary. He created a code so that others could not easily tell what he was writing. For example, read the excerpt on the next page and try to decipher the highlighted word. KHS Museum Theatre Since 1998, the Museum Theatre program has staged more than forty original productions, often inspired by the rich resources in the Kentucky Historical Society collection. Each play is presented within KHS exhibition spaces and is designed to connect audiences with the sights, sounds, and stories of the past. These professional productions provide museum visitors with a personal perspective of historical characters and encourage them to explore the exhibitions to learn more. Audience members often find that they relate to the story itself. What’s your story?
Director—Mike Thomas Mike spent eight years as the KHS Museum Theatre coordinator and two years as director of the Capital Arts Center in Bowling Green, before returning to his hometown of Maysville as director of the Washington Opera House. Mike completed his theatre studies at Western Kentucky University and since that time has served as an arts administrator, educator, director, and performer for a variety of performing groups. John G. Stuart—Greg Hardison Greg has been the KHS Museum Theatre Coordinator since 2005. He currently serves on the board of the International Museum Theatre Alliance. This is for Alex and Bella! Learn more about Kentucky and flatboats: • Chambers, Andrew. Flatboats on the Ohio: Adventures in Frontier America. New Jersey, 1998 • Clark, Thomas D. The Kentucky. Lexington,1992 • St. George, Judith. The Amazing Voyage of the New Orleans. New York,1980 Special thanks: David Rose (set construction) Photo credits: (cover) Moon light on the Western Waters, 1847, KHS Collections, (inside left) Southern Provinces of the United States, 1817, KHS Collections, (inside right) Louisville Portland Canal, 1825, KHS Collections, Emigrants Passing Down the Ohio, 1883, KHS Collections.
CURRENT EVENTS:
4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TUART The Ohio was the first river highway of the frontier. Settlers poled down the Ohio and up its tributaries on flatboats, rafts, and dugouts. By 1790, Kentuckians were shipping goods down the Ohio to the Mississippi. Warehouses sprang up to gather cargo for the spring “tides� when high water would allow navigation to the Ohio. Kentucky’s trade with New Orleans by 1802 passed $1.2 million per year.
“It is now eludct and am just beginning to write, should have begun on last Saturday evening but for various avocations.� The code works like this: E=F U=R L=I D=D C=A T=Y. When decoded, the word is FRIDAY.
Flatboats were sturdy vessels built of squared, hardwood timbers. Upright timbers set on top of the hull were enclosed and covered with a roof to form a shelter. Often forty feet long, the boat was steered by a long pole called a sweep. Flatboats floated at the mercy of the current in one direction—downstream. Once they reached their destination, crew members sold the cargo, broke up the boat, sold the timber, and returned home on foot. Climb aboard an 1806 flatboat and journey with John G. Stuart as he makes his way across the waters of the Kentucky, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers before landing in New Orleans and then walks back home to Kentucky. Based on the diary accounts of the 23 year-old, the play follows his five-month-long journey and brings to life Stuart’s encounters with drought, floods, fighting, and fatigue. In his journal, John described the changing landscape, differences in wildlife and people, and the troubles that occurred along the way. John also kept secrets in his diary. He created a code so that others could not easily tell what he was writing. For example, read the excerpt on the next page and try to decipher the highlighted word. KHS Museum Theatre Since 1998, the Museum Theatre program has staged more than forty original productions, often inspired by the rich resources in the Kentucky Historical Society collection. Each play is presented within KHS exhibition spaces and is designed to connect audiences with the sights, sounds, and stories of the past. These professional productions provide museum visitors with a personal perspective of historical characters and encourage them to explore the exhibitions to learn more. Audience members often find that they relate to the story itself. What’s your story?
Director—Mike Thomas Mike spent eight years as the KHS Museum Theatre coordinator and two years as director of the Capital Arts Center in Bowling Green, before returning to his hometown of Maysville as director of the Washington Opera House. Mike completed his theatre studies at Western Kentucky University and since that time has served as an arts administrator, educator, director, and performer for a variety of performing groups. John G. Stuart—Greg Hardison Greg has been the KHS Museum Theatre Coordinator since 2005. He currently serves on the board of the International Museum Theatre Alliance. This is for Alex and Bella! Learn more about Kentucky and flatboats: • Chambers, Andrew. Flatboats on the Ohio: Adventures in Frontier America. New Jersey, 1998 • Clark, Thomas D. The Kentucky. Lexington,1992 • St. George, Judith. The Amazing Voyage of the New Orleans. New York,1980 Special thanks: David Rose (set construction) Photo credits: (cover) Moon light on the Western Waters, 1847, KHS Collections, (inside left) Southern Provinces of the United States, 1817, KHS Collections, (inside right) Louisville Portland Canal, 1825, KHS Collections, Emigrants Passing Down the Ohio, 1883, KHS Collections.
4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TU
CURRENT EVENTS:
4HE &LATBOAT $IARY OF *OHN ' 3TUART
100 West Broadway • Frankfort, Ky. 40601 • 502.564.1792 • www.history.ky.gov Connections. Perspective. Inspiration. The Kentucky Historical Society is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
www.history.ky.gov