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March is Women's History Month. History often overlooked women and their accomplishments in early America. This is the first of several portraits of notable area women.
Steamboating was a male dominated vocation in the late 1800s. There were no licensed female pilots or captains on the Ohio or Mississippi rivers. Then Mary Becker Greene came along and earned those licenses before age 29. She became an iconic figure in the riverboat industry.
Mary Catherine Becker Greene was born in 1868 along the Muskingum River near Marietta, Ohio. She recalled river trips in a johnboat loaded with produce to Marietta and back. She did her share of rowing. One day she met a deckhand on a Muskingum River steamboat. His name was Gordon C. Greene, a nephew of Mary's family doctor and descendent of the Greene family that founded Newport, Ohio. In 1890, she married Gordon and they set up "house" on his steamboat H. K. BEDFORD.
Mary's lifetime accomplishments were many:
– Only female licensed steamboat pilot and master (captain) on the Ohio River, active for over 50 years.
– Astute business person as co-owner of Greene Line Steamers.
– Elected to National Rivers Hall of Fame.
– Named in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Mary was smart. She learned the hundreds of details about the Ohio River needed to get a pilot's license. At only 5 feet tall, she could barely see over the pilot wheel, let alone wrestle that heavy wheel to steer. But she did it. She earned respect from the all-male crews and boat operators of that time.
She was proactive, always making things happen. She took personal command of the steamboat ARGAND to make it profitable, hosted an excursion trip (then an experimental concept in steamboat travel) in 1904 to the St. Louis World's Fair, and doted endlessly on passengers. People were attracted to "her" Greene Line steamboats by the good food, cleanliness, comfort, and fun. There was no drinking or gambling allowed, creating a family-friendly setting.
Besides the river, there were difficult periods in her life to navigate. Their three children were born and raised on board their riverboats. Raising young sons and working full time on the boats was a challenge. She made it work until Henry, the oldest child, died in 1907 at age 8. Grief and conflicting feelings swept over her. Mary realized that her first priority was her two sons. She left the river and set up the family home on land in Cincinnati. "Being at home I can give my two boys the attention they require. On the river I couldn't." She eventually returned to the river as the boys grew up.
Gordon C. Greene, Mary's husband, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1927. Mary was with Gordon's casket as it arrived on the steamboat TOM GREENE for burial at the Greene family burial plot in Newport, Ohio. She with her two sons Tom and Chris continued the business, astutely guiding the company through the Great Depression and World War II.
In 1946, Greene Line Steamers acquired what became their most well known vessel, the DELTA QUEEN. Mary moved her residence on board the boat in 1948 when the DELTA QUEEN began regular service. She served as hostess, visiting and socializing daily with passengers.
David B. Baker is author of the earlymarietta local history blog. Learn about the Washington County Historical Society at 740-373-1788 or wchshistory.org.