Ship Model, Lighthouse Tender <I>Joseph Henry</I>
date: label: Date made
content: 1880
label: Date made
content: 1962
label: used
content: late 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This model represents the U.S. Lighthouse Tender <I>Joseph Henry</I>, a side-wheeled steamer built by Howard & Company in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1880. This 180-foot-long vessel was built for service along the nation’s inland waterways. Lighthouse tenders served both coastal and inland areas by delivering supplies, fuel, news, and relief and maintenance crew to lighthouses and lightships. They also maintained aids to navigation, including markers identifying channels, shoals, and obstructions. Based out of Memphis, the <I>Joseph Henry</I> worked along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers until 1904.
label: Description
content: The vessel’s namesake, Joseph Henry, was America’s foremost scientist in the 19th century. His expertise was in the field of electromagnetism. Henry was a professor at the College of New Jersey (Princeton) when he was named the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he held from 1846 until his death in 1878. He also served on the U.S. Lighthouse Board (1852-78), and implemented various improvements in lighting and signaling during his tenure. This lighthouse tender was named in his honor at its launching two years after his death.
place: label: Place Made
content: United States
label: built in
content: United States: Indiana, Jefferson
label: worked along
content: United States: Mississippi River
label: worked along
content: United States: Missouri River
topic: label: Subject
content: Steamships
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
label: related event
content: The Emergence of Modern America
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: On the Water exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.321486
label: catalog number
content: 321486
label: accession number
content: 245714
objectType: label: Object Name
content: ship
label: Object Name
content: ship model
label: Object Name
content: model, ship
label: Other Terms
content: ship; Maritime; Lighthouse Tender
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in x 52 in x 16 1/2 in; 35.56 cm x 132.08 cm x 41.91 cm