Tennessee River
Reports from the Tennessee River expedition
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Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
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Tribune-Courier: Floating Artist
In general, when people are posed with the question, ‘What is art?’ the answers align with ideas of paintings created by the greats like Vincent Van Gogh or fantastic photographs that capture space and time in unique ways like the work of Ansel Adams. The answer might vary a bit and turn into a deep…
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Shantyboat in the Paducah Labor Day Parade
Shantyboat in the Paducah Labor Day Parade. Nathan Lynn playing banjo while Wes tries to make banjo sounds that are not too disharmonious. Photo by Mitch Kimball
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Looking through the Mary Wheeler collection at the Paducah Library
Looking through the Mary Wheeler collection at the McCracken County Library
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Secret History talk at River Discovery Center, Paducah
Secret History talk at River Discovery Center, Paducah
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Rev Kempton Baldridge one of a few chaplains for more than 4000 towboats
Rev Kempton Baldridge one of a few chaplains for more than 4000 towboats and riverboats on American Rivers
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Shantyboat On display
Shantyboat On display today and tomorrow. Open House 10-2pm Saturday at the River Discovery Museum on Water St in Paducah
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Bruce Walker king of the bar-b-Que in north Paducah
Bruce Walker king of the bar-b-Que in north Paducah at A&J’s BBQ. We had a great conversation about the neighborhood and then he made the most delectable ribs I’ve had all year
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Paduca Sun: Artist-in-residence Modes slated to discuss journey of shantyboat
Paducah Arts Alliance artist-in-residence Wes Modes and his 1940s-era shantyboat landed recently in Paducah for two weeks to discuss his ongoing project, “A Secret History of American River People.”
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David Nickell talks about his family history in the Land Between the Rivers
David Nickell talks about his family history in the Land Between the Rivers, an intense story of government betrayal and intrigue
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Merryman Kemp founder of Merryman House
Maryman Kemp founder of Maryman House, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Interview in Anita’s garden
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Louie Kirchhoff baker in Paducah for 75 years
Louie Kirchhoff who has lived in Paducah for 75 years, much of the time running his families bakery on 2nd Street since 1873
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Nathan Blake Lynn, musician, historian, and amateur folk musicologist
Nathan Blake Lynn, musician, historian, and amateur folk musicologist. Interview at Paducah riverfront at dawn
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African glass beads at the Paducah Farmers Market
African glass beads at Melanie and Erileigh’s stall at the Paducah Farmers Market. So much good stuff, fresh veggies and fruit. Shantyboat parked at edge of market
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Anita Stamper, our generous host at the beautiful Mav House
Anita Stamper, our generous host at the beautiful Mav House
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Capt Ron Gray Jr of the American Queen meets the captain of the Shantyboat Dotty
Capt Ron Gray Jr of the American Queen meets the captain of the Shantyboat Dotty
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Secret History shantyboat visits the American Queen at Port of Paducah
Secret History shantyboat visits the American Queen at Port of Paducah
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AL.com: On a shantyboat in Alabama, nights are hot, food is good and stories flow
Smack dab in the middle of the Tennessee River, between the O’Neal Bridge stretching from Muscle Shoals into Florence and TVA’s Wilson Dam, a recreated relic of river history is stuck like a catfish on a line, its anchor snagged on God only knows what at the bottom of the river.
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Paducah WPSD: Secret History of River People coming to Paducah
The River Discovery Center in Paducah will host an exhibit including a 1940s shantyboat starting Friday.
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Secret History installation at the River Discovery Center in Paducah
Secret History installation at the River Discovery Center in Paducah
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Shantyboat from Founder’s Room at the River Discovery Center
Shantyboat seen through the windows of the Founder’s Room at the River Discovery Center in Paducah where the Secret History installation will be for the next two weeks
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West Kentucky Star: Artist Concludes Daring River Voyage in Paducah
A rustic recreated 1940s shanty boat, a daring river voyage, and a meticulous archive of river stories are all part of a multi-year art and history project, “A Secret History of American River People.” Santa Cruz, California artist Wes Modes is currently floating his homemade houseboat on the historic Tennessee River.
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My favorite Secret History paparazzi photo
My favorite Secret History paparazzi photo. Back from the Benzy as ships mate days
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Adrian playing dress up
Adrian playing dress up. He already had the radio on so we could listen to radio chatter as they blew up a major highway span we were crossing under. Thanks to friends in Guntersville for the sweet patches
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Captain and two ships mates, Age and Penske, arrive after trials and tribulations at Kenlake Marina
Captain and two ships mates, Age and Penske, arrive after trials and tribulations at Kenlake Marina
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After Freddie’s transmission went out, we had to put Mr Johnson back in service to push the shantyboat. Mid-lake motor switch
After Freddie’s transmission went out, we had to put Mr Johnson back in service to push the shantyboat. Mid-lake motor switch
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Oh no! Freddie’s transmission died in the middle of Lake Kentucky
Oh no! We lost the rest of Freddie’s transmission in the middle of Lake Kentucky
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Old Danville Grain Elevator submerged by the inundated Tennessee River
Old Danville Grain Elevator submerged by the inundated Tennessee River in the flooded town of Danville
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Our first volunteer fish dinner
Our first volunteer fish dinner! When we to hop in the johnboat to pick up new ships mate Penske, we found he had jumped in during our rough traversal of Kentucky Lake
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Two Weeks in Paducah, Kentucky
Join us in Paducah Kentucky for a two week long series of Secret History events. Modes has exhibited the project in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Huntsville, and Florence, and will end his historic journey at the Port of Paducah. The project will be exhibiting for two weeks starting August 23rd in partnership with the Paducah Arts Alliance.
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Not everyone knows it’s good luck to pass under a train bridge
Not everyone knows it’s good luck to pass under a train bridge and extra if it has a train and even more if it’s moving. So it was a lucky day
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Pete and Wes look at Freddie to see why we no longer have a reverse gear
Pete and Wes look at Freddie to see why we no longer have a reverse gear
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David “Scoop” Anderson who worked on riverboats and towboats for years
Davis “Scoop” Anderson who worked on riverboats and rowboats for years, finally settling out as a newspaper editor (earning his nickname
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Shantyboat in the secret abandoned MARINA OF THE DAMNED
Shantyboat in the secret abandoned marina of the planet of the apes
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Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River near the confluence of the Duck River with Adrian fishing from the bow
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Typically amazing cuisine aboard the shantyboat. The full time caterers turned out to be a great investment
Typically amazing cuisine aboard the shantyboat. The full time caterers turned out to be a great investment
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Fishing for breakfast at the confluence of the Duck River with the Tennessee
Fishing for breakfast at the confluence of the Duck River with the Tennessee
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We learn to read the river: this beautiful herringbone pattern precedes larger wind waves
We learn to read the river: this beautiful herringbone pattern precedes larger wind waves. A steady breeze over a reach creates tiny ripples that reinforce each other, becoming swells that can become challenging for the shantyboat
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Pete Selmeci who’s job is to fix big boats and move them around
Pete Selmeci who’s job is to fix big boats and move them around. He was limping this disabled Love Boat with his business partner Mark downriver. He helped us look at our own limping Freddie Mercury who lost reverse gear and supplied is with rum and coke
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Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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Barges in the mist
Barges in the mist. People ask us constantly if the tows give us any trouble. After over 1000 miles on inland waters we can definitively say, No, towboat crews are professional, more courteous, more responsible, and create less wake than big yachts
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Secret History is largely a donation supported project and your contribution directly supports our fieldwork. Consider supporting the project.
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Emergency! Out of vodka and down to a finger or two of gin
Emergency! Out of vodka and down to a finger or two of gin
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Gene Davidson owner of the Clifton Marina
We talked to Gene Davidson who owns the Clifton Marina. He’s lived either in Clifton or nearby Waynesboro all of his 80 years. A pharmacist for most of his career, Gene created the marina in the early 2000s after he retired.
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The folks at Clifton Marina treated us super decently
The folks at Clifton Marina treated us super decently. Say hi to Sonja and Gene when you come by on the Tennessee River
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Glen Lineberry worked on towboats for 50 years
He worked for 40 years on line towboats that would travel from the big river ports hauling stuff upriver. He started as deckhand, and worked as mate, assistant engineer, and finally chief engineer for decades.
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Bob who is traveling from Paducah to the Gulf of Mexico via the Tombigbee River on a Seedoo stopped by Clifton to gas up
Bob who is traveling from Paducah to the Gulf of Mexico via the Tombigbee River on a Seedoo stopped by Clifton to gas up
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An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads
An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads. Age and I escape in the Marina loaner beater car
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Poor poor Hazel. Her paw was burnt by a falling pot of boiling water when a big yacht passed us by close and fast
Poor poor Hazel. Her paw was burnt by a falling pot of boiling water when a big yacht passed us by close and fast
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The adventures of Peggy Sanford’s Aunt Jonnie
My Aunt, Jonnie Ruff Vailes, taught in a one room schoolhouse on Island 40, located near Memphis on the Mississippi River. Although Island 40 was in Tennessee the only way to get there by road was by going through Arkansas.
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Jackie Irvin runs an opiate addiction program at Jabbok Refuge Center Church
Jackie Irvin who runs an opiate addiction program at Jabbok Refuge Center Church talks to us about growing up Black in small town Tennessee, her faith, her (mostly white) clients, and racism in the South
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Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
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Main St of Saltillo leads right down a boat ramp to the river
Captivating on several levels. Main St of Saltillo leads right down a boat ramp to the river with a half dozen stop signs near the end. Perhaps they had a problem’tDriveInTheRiver
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Saltillo’s Ghost Marina
Not sure this marina in Saltillo is going to have wi-fi. Saltillo’s ghost marina.
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Oh god. We’ve entered the land of relentless biting Horseflies. No one is safe
Oh god. We’ve entered the land of relentless biting Horseflies. No one is safe
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The generosity of strangers: Jesse interrupted his search for Pokémon to give us a ride to get gas and ice
The generosity of strangers: Jesse interrupted his search for Pokémon to give us a ride to get gas and ice
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Roger Lard, fisherman near Savannah TN
Roger Lard, fisherman near Savannah TN, trotline trays in the foreground and live catfish tank in the background
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Living the shantyboaters celebrity lifestyle upriver at a local party beach
After our thorough ten-minute tour of Savannah Tennessee, we went upriver to a kind of local party spot sandbar where we were regaled with stories, loaded up with beer, given hats with local logos, and generally lived the shantyboaters celebrity lifestyle. People asked lots of curious questions and enjoyed a snort or two of Dr…
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Shantyboat bloody marys for three days provided by generous folks
Shantyboat bloody marys for three days provided by our generous hosts upriver, Mark & Rachel. Thanks sister Heather
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Jabbok Refuge Center Church service just a few doors down from the Tennessee River Museum
Jabbok Refuge Center Church service. Just a few doors down from the museum where Black stories have been erased
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At Tennessee River Museum in Savannah TN the history of Black people is completely erased
Tennessee River Museum in Savannah TN, like many river museums I’ve visited that extensively explore area history including the geology, native people, steamboat era, musseling & fishing, and a great deal about the civil war without ever once mentioning slavery, emancipation or African Americans in any way. Black people are completely missing from the story…
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The landscape where one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought
Pittsburg Landing, the landscape where one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought, the Battle of Shiloh. Confederate forces surprise attacked a Union division lead by Ulysses Grant working their way up the Tennessee River. The Union Army prevailed only because they were reinforced by several divisions on day two
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The Delta Mariner that carries rocket parts back and forth between Cape Canaveral and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsvile
The Delta Mariner a vessel unlike any we’ve seen passes by us. We think it is the huge ship that carries rocket parts back and forth between Cape Canaveral and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsvile
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Rooster’s Dogs & Burgers surrounded by hundreds of boats attending a strange boat-in only concert in Northern Mississippi
Rooster’s Dogs & Burgers surrounded by hundreds of boats attending a strange boat-in only concert in Northern Mississippi-in
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Shantyboat out of place at the Grand Harbor on Pickwick Lake
Shantyboat out of place at the grand Harbor on Pickwick Lake, surrounded by plastic people, huge expensive boats that never leave the harbor and party barges stirring the Tombigbee River into a confusion of high swells
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The Alabama countryside is green and lush and textured
The Alabama countryside is green and lush and textured
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Dr. Adrian Nankivell excellent ships mate on a morning johnboat run
Dr. Adrian Nankivell excellent ships mate on a morning johnboat run
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Hazel got scalded when an enormous yacht knocked a pot of boiling water off the stove
Hazel got scalded when an enormous yacht came by close and fast while we were anchored and knocked a pot of boiling water off the stove. She yelped and cried and we iced her foot for a half hour. Probably not seriously hurt but it makes me hate irresponsible boaters even more. Big yachts are…
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A Butch Anthony joins Jesus in the Jeremiah Daniels Executive Washroom Gallery
A Butch Anthony joins Jesus in the Jeremiah Daniels Executive Washroom Gallery aboard the Shantyboat Dotty. Along with works by Maxine and Sasha Stonebloom
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Captured by pirates!
Captured by pirates! Mark and Rachel board the shantyboat and force us to eat good food and drink wine and suck up air conditioning and wifi and have a bath
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Tori Bailey of WZZA Soul Radio
We very nearly interviewed Tori Bailey, possibly the busiest person in the Shoals area. Tori runs WZZA, the only Black radio station in North Alabama, started by her mom and dad in 1972. Tori is also president of the Northwest Alabama NAACP and VP of this and board member of that. Tori organizes the world famous WC…
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Alabama WHNT: California man lives on a ‘Shanty Boat’ documenting Florence residents
It’s one of the oddest sights you might see on the river this summer. Making its way through the Florence Harbor on Friday, Wes Modes captains his hand-made vessel.
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Anita Cobb knows her family history going back before emancipation
Interview with Anita Cobb, who knows her detailed family history going back five generations to before emancipation
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Robert Francil, 4th generation fisherman
Interview with Robert Francil, 4th generation Florence commercial fisherman
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Adrian fishes totally legally on the Tennessee River near Florence
Adrian fishes totally legally on the Tennessee River near Florence
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Looking for a used mandolin
Hey Florence friends: Adrian is looking for a used mandolin so he can play music while we drift down river. Where can we find such a beast? Also we need a decent fillet knife and a sharpener. Point us in the right direction?
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Emma Lee Dean-Dykes Troup, openly trans woman in small town Alabama
Interview with Emma Lee Dean-Dyke Troup, openly trans woman in Florence AL
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Bob Perry, Chickasaw elder and Annie Perry, knowledgable about the history of the area
Interview with Bob & Annie Perry at Tuscumbia Landing. Bob is a Chickasaw elder and Annie is knowledgable about the history of the area
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Butch takes us to the Secret Tuesday Florence Flea Market
Butch takes us to the Secret Tuesday Florence Flea Market
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The Annie out of Lake Wheeler comes to visit us
The Annie out of Lake Wheeler comes to visit us while we are in Florence Harbor Marina. Beautiful homemade boat similar in construction if not in design to the shantyboat
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Robert Francil known locally as the fish guy
Robert Francil known locally as the fish guy. The sign in his yard says Fish For Sale with another little sign: “Fish stories told here
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Most brilliant idea ever. A used bookstore at the Florence public library
Most brilliant idea ever. A used bookstore at the Florence public library
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Shantyboat Dotty near the Old Railroad Bridge in Florence AL
Shantyboat Dotty near the Old Railroad Bridge in Florence AL. Photo by Jim Day
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Wes Modes at Secret History gallery talk
Wes Modes at Secret History gallery talk. Photo by @christi.britten