BBP Heritage: Talk -- 'The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington', 1840 / April 14th

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The Sinking

of the Steamboat Lexington

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Join us for this fascinating lecture on the sinking of the steamboat Lexington! On a frigid night in January 1840, the luxury steamboat Lexington burned and sank in the middle of the Long Island Sound with over 140 people on board. It was followed by harrowing tales of survival, tragic deaths, and a media sensation that dominated the headlines for months.

Historian and journalist Bill Bleyer will share details from his book The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound. He will reveal the history of the ship from its creation by Cornelius Vanderbilt to its glory days on the Sound, to the various attempts through the years at raising it from the deep. It is an epic story of technological progress, maritime dangers, and Long Island’s transportation history.