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In his master plan Olmstead included lagoons and waterways on which he envisioned elegant boats gliding silently over the water. Olmstead had in mind a graceful launch similar to the Victoria era steam launches that were popular on lakes and rivers between 1870 and 1900. He did not want ugly high capacity tour boats like the ones proposed by a tugboat company interested in the revenue of larger steam-powered craft. Author Erik Larson, in his wonderful book The Devil in the White City (Vintage Books), states: “By the end of 1891 the question of what kind of boats to allow on the Fair’s waterways had come to obsess him [Olmstead], as if boats alone would determine the success of his quest for ‘poetic mystery.’ Mere transportation was never the goal, he fumed. The whole point of having boats was to enhance the landscape. ‘Put in the water unbecoming boats and the effects would be utterly disgusting, destroying the value of what would otherwise be the most valuable original features of the exposition. I say destroy deliberately. A thousand times better to have no boats.’” Olmstead got his way; the launches that graced the waters of the Columbian Exhibition were Elco Electric Launches that glided swan-like over the water without a sound. The almost effortless glide of a Victorian era launch also became an obsession for Urbanna, Virginia, resident Ray Rodgers, as it has for thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts around the world. For Rodgers the obsession began approximately twenty years ago ... Rodgers works for Atlantic Metal Products in Topping, Virginia, designing all sorts of metal structures and devices by day. By night, he is a wooden boat builder. In 2006 Rodgers’ smoldering obsession to build a wooden launch reignited. Rodgers is a self taught master carpenter. He built his own house on Urbanna Creek and has built other boats as well as a variety of models of historic craft. Among his authentic models are the buyboats Rebecca Anne and the P.E Pruitt, the steam-powered menhaden fishing boat Margaret, the oyster police boat Commodore Murray and the steamboat Lancaster. Rodgers loves to work with wood. Evidence of his handiwork is to been seen everywhere in his home. Wife Kathy is a school teacher and Ray’s biggest fan, seconded only by author Larry Chowning, a familiar name to readers of BaySplash and anyone interested in wooden boats. Rodgers and Chowning have been friends since they were boys. Chowning says of Ray Rodgers: “Ray has a natural talent for designing and constructing just about anything, but what makes him special is his passion towards his projects. When he starts a project, the physical product is going to be beyond outstanding. |
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