Present Day - Festival Park
Shipbuilding has a long history in Washington, with the earliest recorded occurrence being 1769. One of the first Revenue Cutters built for the U. S. Revenue Cutter Service, the Diligence, was built in Washington. By 1850 Washington had become the most important shipbuilding center in the state. The first shipyard in Washington, located on Water Street at the end of Bonner Street, was owned by William Farrow and, later, by his son, Joseph Farrow. During the 19th Century, the Farrows built many sailing vessels, sailing steamers, steamboats, and a Confederate gunboat.
By 1912 this shipyard was owned and operated by Mr. Bill Chauncey. In 1912, James Adams from Michigan came to Washington and commissioned Chauncey to build a substantial floating theatre. It was 128 feet long and thirty-four feet wide. It was towed by a fifty-foot tug. It was christened the James Adams Floating Theatre, but it was always referred to simply as The Showboat. Probably few of the people who flocked to the performances on board ever knew it had an official name.
