Ferryboat models on display at the library

The Jamestown Historical Society unveiled an exhibit of ferryboat models in its display case at the Jamestown library last week. The nine models depict ferryboats owned and operated by the Jamestown & Newport Ferry Company.

The ferryboats shown are the Jamestown I, Conanicut, Beavertail, Governor Carr, Hammonton, and Jamestown IV. The Jamestown I, the first of four ferries named Jamestown, was the the company's first steam-powered ferry and began service in 1873. The Jamestown IV was the last ferry in the series, and she ended her service in 1969 when the Newport/Pell Bridge opened.

The model makers were William Foster Caswell,1889-1969, who built models of Beavertail, Governor Carr and Hammonton; Orville Minkler, 1890-1957, who made models of Conanicut and Beavertail; and Tom Sherman,1936-1981, who built the models of Governor Carr, Hammonton, and Jamestown IV. The builder of the Jamestown I has not been identified.