Montour County Historical Society

Susquehanna Steamboat

By: Lynn Reichen February 12, 2026

The Susquehanna River, one of the oldest existing rivers in the world, is located in northeastern United States. Beginning in Cooperstown, New York the River travels 464 miles and empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace. The 16th longest river in the U.S. is also the longest river without commercial boat traffic. Being non-navigable didn’t stop people from trying to find ways to use the river for transportation. In the early 1820’s a group of men from Baltimore planned to launch steamboat service on the Susquehanna. Three steamboats were built: the Codorus, the Susquehanna and the Pioneer. The Susquehanna’s maiden voyage made it to Northumberland from York Haven and back. The Pioneer made it to Williamsport and back, it’s only trip. The Codorus’s first trip was to Binghamton and then it returned to York Haven.

Now the story gets a bit confusing. Susan Q. Stranahan, in her book ‘Susquehanna, River of Dreams’ names the steamboat Susquehanna as the boat in the following story, several area histories say it was the Codorus steamboat. Whichever boat it was, I will use the Susquehanna in my story. The Susquehanna, built in 1825 in Baltimore by the York Company, was eighty feet long, fourteen feet in width and drew fourteen inches of water when empty. Two boilers supplied the steam for a ten-horse engine This boat could carry two hundred passengers and its speed was rated at ten miles an hour. On April 17, 1826, captained by Capt. Cornwell, the Susquehanna left York Haven towing a large keel boat capable of carrying one thousand bushels of wheat. On May 1^st the steamboat left Harrisburg for a trip up the Susquehanna River. 

On May 2^nd The Susquehanna arrived in Danville. The officers went on shore where they were the guests at a public banquet that was held in the Cross Keys Tavern. This hotel and tavern were built a few feet from the River Bridge and by 1824 it had become famous as a stop for rafts on the river and a stage stop where passengers spent the evening enjoying good food, drink and amusements offered by the management. The next morning the boat left Danville and continued on its way upriver. By 4 o’clock the steamboat reached the Nescopeck Falls near Berwick. At these falls there was an outer and an artificial inner channel of shallow water for rafts and arks. After consulting other river men, the Captain decided to try the main the boat halted, several of the passengers debarked, and the boat proceeded to the main channel. About two thirds through the falls the engine stopped and the current caused the boat to drift back to the foot of the rapid where she struck a wall dividing the artificial channel from the main one and at that instant, the boilers exploded.  It was rumored that one of the crew was holding the safety valve down in order to get more power which caused a strain on the engine causing the explosion. The boat was not greatly damaged but two men were instantly killed and several more were severely scalded by the steam, two of those died a week or two later. The passengers from Danville, Mr. Woodside, Colt and Underwood were injured as well as 4 men from Catawissa and one from Luzerne County.  The uninjured returned to their homes or continued on their journey. The two killed were laid to rest in a cemetery in Berwick, they were 23 and 24 years of age.

The experiences of The Susquehanna and the explosion of the boat deterred other boats and navigation on the Susquehanna River with steam was ended.