Majestic (Showboat)

The Showboat Majestic was built 1923 and was originally owned by Tom Reynolds. He and his family lived and performed on the showboat until World War II. From 1945 until 1960, Hiram College and Kent State University leased the Majestic for a summer theatre experience for their students. In 1960, Indiana University took over the tradition. In 1965, the Majestic was dry-docked in Jeffersonville, Indiana after being found unsafe. The City of Cincinnati purchased the Showboat Majestic in 1967 and after major renovations the boat was moored at the foot of the Cincinnati Public Landing. The University of Cincinnati leased the showboat as a summer stock theater for its students until 1988.

From the guide to the Showboat Majestic records, 1926-1986, 1926-1986, (University of Cincinnati, Archives and Rare Books Library)

The Showboat Majestic was a riverboat used for performances by the theater departments at both Hiram College and Indiana University.

It was first leased from Thomas J. Reynolds by Hiram College in 1948 by the Department of Speech and Drama. After running for nine seasons all over Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, Reynolds sold the riverboat to Indiana University in 1959. IU used the boat for performances for several years before it was moored in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1965 after the Coast Guard deemed the boat unsafe for travel. The Theatre Department performed on the Majestic for two more seasons before selling the riverboat to the city of Cincinnati. IU's plans for a second Showboat Majestic were abandoned for financial reasons.

From the description of Showboat Majestic records, 1948-1973. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 50304952

The Majestic showboat, built in 1923 by Thomas J. Reynolds, was leased to Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio in 1948. The Dramatic Department at Hiram College used the Majestic to perform plays during college summer courses, and after running for nine seasons all over Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, Captian Reynolds, deciding to retire at 80 years of age, put the riverboat up for sale.

Indiana University President Herman B Wells read an article about the sale of this last running showboat and sent a copy to Lee Norvelle, head of the Department of Speech and Theatre. Norvelle and I.U. Vice President and Treasurer, J. A. Franklin, inspected the vessel and discussed with Captian Reynolds the sale of both the showboat and its tow, Atta-Boy. With approval from President Wells and the Board of Trustees, Indiana University purchased the Majestic showboat and tow in 1959 for $30,000.

Lee Norvelle served until 1963 as president of the non-profit corporation responsible for the operation of the vessel, and he served as Executive Director of The Showboat Majestic for its first two seasons after which Richard Moody accepted this title. William E. Kinzer was appointed Director Aboard in 1960 and remained in that position through the last season. The Showboat Majestic ran for five seasons on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and was used for many performances in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, before it was moored in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1965 after the Coast Guard deemed the Showboat Majestic unsafe for travel. The Indiana University Theatre Department performed on the Majestic for two more seasons before the riverboat was sold to the City of Cincinnati for $13,500 in 1967.

Richard Moody and William Kinzer proposed The Showboat Majestic II project, and a committee was formed to investigate the possibility of either purchasing or building a second showboat. The project was abandoned in 1970, when the Showboat account had $11,280, and the cost of a new riverboat was estimated at $500,000.

From the guide to the Indiana University Showboat Majestic records, 1948-1973, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)