Published October 11, 2025
By Dave Dulaney
From the founding of Quincy in 1822 by John Wood, the town grew tremendously. By the 1840 census 2,300 people had braved the trip from the east to settle the Mississippi town on the edge of civilization. Most pioneers made the trip by a combination of steamboat passage and on trails like the Cumberland Road from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.
Quincy grew to be one of the largest settlements in the emerging west. In 1853 Congress made Quincy a port of entry for foreign goods, thereby becoming an important center for steamboat travel and distribution. By the end of the decade arrivals to Quincy by steamboats had grown from less than 50 in the mid-1830s to nearly 3,000 by 1859.
At the beginning of the next decade the Civil War would greatly consume the efforts of the town, slowing its growth. Following the war the city resumed its fast pace of development. By 1867 advocates for commerce were reaching out to bring business into the area. Thomas Jasper and others would form the Saint Louis and Quincy Packet Company to increase river traffic to the city. All this activity would lead to population growth of 75 percent at the next census.
The new packet company was risky. Its founders would go up against John McCune and the Saint Louis and Keokuk Packet line. This company was the oldest packet company and McCune the most respected steamboat man on the river. To counter McCune the owners of the new packet company introduced a new boat that was larger and fancier than any on the competing line. The new boat was named the Tom Jasper for the prominent Quincy investor, company officer, and former mayor.
The company sent its lead captain Frank Burnett to Madison, Indiana, to supervise the construction of the new boat. Burnett arrived on April 9, 1867, and worked with the boat builders Vance and Armstrong, the company which built the hull and coordinated the specialty contractors responsible for the engine, fine carpentry and furnishings needed to complete the boat. The engine came from the large lower Mississippi steamboat Eclipse and was installed by Neal Manufacturing. The main cabin and the individual staterooms were constructed by John C. Crosley, marine architect. This firm was responsible for all the fine carpentry and decorative trim (gingerbread). The fine china, glassware and cutlery were provided by The G. P. Mellen Company, which was also likely responsible for the lamps and ornate chandeliers that graced the rooms and main cabin of the boat. Two of these chandeliers are preserved today by the Historical Society with one on display in the History Museum on the Square.
Newspapers all along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers announced the completion of the Tom Jasper in August. They reported that the stateroom walls were painted lilac. The doors were done in rosewood with oval panels containing artistic landscapes, figures, fruits and flowers. Local papers said the style of the boat was gothic, and the main cabin walls were pure white with gilded accents on the gingerbread.
The new boat finally arrived from the Ohio River on the 16th of August. On her first trip up the Mississippi from St. Louis she attracted much attention. She was greeted by large crowds of people eager to view the conspicuous behemoth. At Clarksville, the Sentinel printed that everybody went to the wharf to view the magnificent steamer and that she appeared “like a thing of life.” When she reached the levee at Quincy an anxious population, bolstered by martial music and a booming cannon, greeted her arrival. Formal speeches took place at the landing, introducing the boat and crew to the city. City leaders gave the crew a stand of colors to fly on the boat. Jasper, the man for whom the boat was named, presented a splendid piano to be placed in the ladies cabin. The piano, he said, was given so that the “youth may mingle in merry dance and song under the guidance of women.” To go along with the piano a piece of music was published for the company by the St. Louis house of Compton and Doan. It was titled “Jasper Schottish” and carried images of the boat and Mr. Jasper on the cover. The Historical Society has a copy of this sheet music.
The ceremonies continued on the boat as 500 people boarded for the trip to St. Louis. As soon as they were under way dancing began and lasted until the arrival at St. Louis. At Hannibal, Louisiana and Clarksville a number of people joined the excursion. The cuisine of the Jasper was reported as being magnificent and equal to food served at the best hotels. A string section preformed for the diners in the main cabin. The boat arrived in St. Louis at 12:30 a.m.
This first voyage was a success. The new company had a grand, opulent boat that was the talk of the river system. Yet, the day-to-day competition between the St. Louis and Quincy Packet Company and the Keokuk and St. Louis line proved more difficult. Later trips were much less successful. With all the new company’s spending on expensive furnishings, elaborate decorations and the $100,000 cost of building the large boat, the builders had neglected adequately sized boilers for the engine. The Jasper could not get up enough steam. The result was that the competing line’s boat beat them into port most of the time. The St. Louis and Quincy Packet assets were sold to the Northwestern Packet Line one year later. The Tom Jasper lasted until 1876 when it was remade with new boilers and renamed the Centennial.
The St. Louis and Quincy Packet was a loss for its investors, including Jasper. His loss would be made up of his efforts in distilling, banking and railroads. But the Tom Jasper and the other steamboats brought people to Quincy and helped the city become the 55th largest city in the United States.
Dave Dulaney was a local historian, an author, and a frequent speaker on the local history of breweries and steamboats. Dave served as a tour guide for the John Wood Mansion and was a past president of the Society. He died in 2024.
Sources:
“Arrival of the New Steamer Tom Jasper.” Quincy Herald, August 17, 1867, p. 4.
“Arrival of the Tom Jasper.” Louisiana Journal, August 17, 1867, p. 3.
Barns, Janice. “Tom Jasper.” In “River to Rail: The Rise and Fall of River and Rail Transportation in Madison Indiana.” A digital history project by the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library and the Jefferson County Historical Society. www.mjcpl.org/rivertorail/boatstories/tom-jasper.
Edwards’ Annual Directory to the City of Madison (Indiana). Edwards and Company Publishers, 1867.
“Miscellaneous.” St. Louis Democrat, August 19, 1867, p. 4.
“Miscellaneous” and “River News.” St. Louis Democrat, August 14, 1867, p. 4.
“Opposition.” Louisville Daily Courier, August 21, 1867, p. 4.
“River News.” Louisiana Journal, July 27, 1867, p. 3.
“River News.” Louisville Courier, August 16, 1867, p. 4.
“River News.” Madison Daily Courier, April 9, 1867.
“River News.” Madison Daily Courier, August 24, 1867, p. 4.
“River News.” New Albany Ledger, July 25, 1867, p. 3.
“River News.” St. Louis Democrat, August 1, 1867, p. 4.
“River News.” St. Louis Republican, August 15, 1867, p. 3.
“River News.” St. Louis Times, August 18, 1867, p. 5.
“Table 10. Population of the 100 largest Urban Places: 1870.” www.census./population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab10.txt.
“The Contest in the Quincy Trade.” New Albany Ledger, August 20, 1867, p. 3.
“The Excursion to St. Louis on the New Steamer Tom Jasper.” Quincy Herald, August 22, 1867, p. 4.
“The St. Louis, Quincy and Keokuk Trade Competition Line.” St. Louis Times, August 15, 1867, p. 5.
“The Steamer Tom Jasper.” Keokuk Daily Constitution, August 20, 1867, p. 4.
“The Tom Jasper.” Louisiana Journal, August 24, 1867, p. 3.
“The Tom Jasper.” Quincy Herald, July 23, 1867, p. 4.
“Tom Jasper.” Clarksville Sentinel, August 1, 1867, p. 3.
Way, Frederick Jr. Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1994.
