The Steamer Bostona, tied up at Portsmouth, Ohio, during the Civil War
This file appears in: Capt. William McClain's Underground Steamboat
This photograph dates to the Civil War and captures two steamboats tied up on the Portsmouth, Ohio, river front. The boat closest to shore is the Bostona, which was owned and captained by William McClain, who operated the boat as regular US Mail packet, serving the Portsmouth, Maysville, and Cincinnati trade. This ship played the part of an Underground Steamboat in the McClain v. Esham (1856) lawsuit, helping Joshua, an African American carpenter escape his bondage in Kentucky.
This file appears in: Capt. William McClain's Underground Steamboat
Capt. William McClain's Underground Steamboat
Eliza Esham of Nicholas County, Kentucky claimed Joshua as her property and sued Capt. McClain, seeking damages. During a jury trial, witness testimony established that Joshua "at the time [had] no written pass or authority from his mistress ... and…