July 4, 2026 marks 250 years since the United States Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. This event has its own word, which is a mouthful to pronounce: the Semiquincentennial.

Louisville is celebrating all year. Which means, of course, that Louisville’s Riverboats are celebrating.

Steamboats actually have a unique connection to the American Revolution and to Kentucky.

John Fitch was granted the patent for a steam-powered boat in 1791. During the Revolutionary War, he served briefly and also worked supplying things like arms, tobacco and beer to the Continental Army. Afterward, he worked as a surveyor in Kentucky (much like George Washington did).

In 1797, he moved to Bardstown, Kentucky, where he died and was buried.

John Fitch’s steamboat has another Revolutionary War connection:  after partnering with watchmaker Henry Voight, he built the Perserverance, a boat that utilized steam technology to power it. It was based on British atmospheric engine models, technology that the country would not export. The Perserverance took its trial run on August 22, 1787 on the Delaware River. Delegates from the Constitutional Convention (some of whom had crossed the Delaware with George Washington on Christmas night, 1776) were present.