Floating Palace

The "Floating Palace" was an elaborate, two-story steamboat created by circus impresario Gilbert R. Spaulding in 1811. This unique vessel featured a regulation circus ring and a stage, touring the Mississippi and Ohio rivers during the 1850s.1

Steamboats, in general, are watercraft propelled by steam. While early experiments began in 1787, the first vessel built specifically for the Mississippi River was the New Orleans in 1811. These shallow-draft paddle wheel boats became dominant on American rivers, especially the Mississippi, throughout the 19th century, revolutionizing commerce and transportation until the rise of railroads in the 1870s.2