THE GLASS PILOTHOUSE

[HostDave]

In every field of human endeavor, there are pioneers and followers. The history of the Mississippi River is filled with noble men who advanced the art and science of riverboat construction, ownership and navigation. You’ll notice that we used the term “men” in the sentence above. And we did so for a very good reason. In the riverboat industry, there haven’t been many women involved although that has changed in recent years. Today, Second Mate Allison Peck is blazing a trail aboard the American Queen as one of the few female officers on America’s rivers.

However, Allison had one very notable pioneer pave the way for her more than a century ago. As you may know, the American Queen was built by the legendary Delta Queen Steamboat Company in 1995 and we are honored to be her guardian today. The Delta Queen Steamboat Company was founded by Gordon C. Greene as Greene Line Steamers and this noted entrepreneur would never have guessed that his wife, Captain Mary B. Greene, would steal his thunder on the river. Known by everyone as “Ma” Greene, Mary was one of the best-known personalities on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers for more than half a century. She was once described as “five feet of femininity, as refreshing as the river breeze and as modern as the moment.” This diminutive queen of the inland waters was one of America’s first female river pilots and a member of the National Maritime Hall of Fame. In 1897, she became only the fourth woman ever to earn a master’s credential, allowing her to become a full-fledged steamboat captain.

She gained widespread fame when she bested her husband in a 1903 steamboat race from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati and piloted his new boat Greenland to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

River lore recounts that the fun-loving Ma Greene was also a fierce temperance-backer and forbade the sale of liquor aboard the family boats. After her death, however, a saloon was installed on the Delta Queen. According to legend, just after the first cocktail was sold, a barge smacked into the steamboat and shattered the bar. Crewmembers dislodged the barge and gasped as they read its name: Captain Mary B. The intruding tug had been named for the famous lady pilot.

Today on the American Queen, Second Mate Allison Peck is well on her way to following in Ma Greene’s famous footsteps. Allison was the subject of a fantastic article by Justin Sellers that appeared in the Natchez Democrat. We encourage you to read the entire story here. The Natchez Democrat is a terrific newspaper that is always looking for an interesting story and in the case of Allison peck, they found one!

Allison is 27 but has had designs on commanding a riverboat since she was a little girl growing up in Bangor, Pennsylvania. As the Second Mate on the American Queen, she is the third in command of the largest, most elegant and most opulent riverboat ever built and is well on her way to achieving her goal of carrying on Ma Greene’s legacy.

While the American Queen Steamboat Company was formed in 2011, our roots go back to 1890 through the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and we are proud to keep the spirit of that great company alive. Allison is hoping someday to be the first female captain of a boat that belonged to the Delta Queen Steamboat Company since Captain Mary Greene passed away in her cabin aboard the Delta Queen on April 22, 1949, at the age of 81.