The Long Career of the Carrie B.

“I was reading his book and became enthralled with it,” explains Iberville Museum director Todd Cooper.  The book in question is A Human Interest Look at the Carrie B. written by James "Fry" Hymel, grandson of Captain  Philo Marionneaux who was at the helm of the steamboat Carrie B. Schwing.  That craft's fascinating history is also highlighted in a current exhibit at the Iberville Museum. The steamboat was owned by the Schwing Lumber and Shingle Company. Built to tow cypress logs to the lumber mill, the Carrie B. became a fixture in Iberville Parish life. Beginning service in 1904, it was the first boat to pass through the Plaquemine Locks, and continued serving as a tow boat and excursion boat. Among the notable revelations in Hymel’s book:  “The steam boat was one hundred and twenty feet long and twenty-one feet wide, every piece of wood used to build it was removed from the swamps.”

“We have the log book from Captain Marionneaux,” Cooper adds of one of the artifacts on display chronicling the steamboat’s long service to Iberville parish. “He piloted it until it eventually sank in 1946.”

The exhibition also includes an authentic scale model, photographs and documents. The exhibit will continue for the next several months.

The Iberville Museum
Open 10 am–4 pm, Tuesday—Sunday.
57735 Main Street in Plaquemine
$2 admission.
(225) 687-7197