Louisiana Through My Lens - Brookhill Ferry Shipwreck Site in Baton Rouge


 The lack of rain in the South and Midwest over the past several months have resulted in the depths of  Mississippi River reaching record low levels. Due to these unusually low water levels so really interesting things are being discovered in areas that are generally under water. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana the shipwreck of an over one hundred year old ferry has recently been discovered.

The now exposed wreckage is believed to be of the Brookhill Ferry that used to transport people and horse-drawn carriages across the Mississippi River in the late 1800s and early 1900s before any bridge in the area ever existed. According to newspaper records the ship went down in a severe storm way back in June of 1906.


Chip McGimsey, the Louisiana state archeologist, who has been surveying the wreck during the past two weeks stated that presently what can be seen on the shoreline is only about a third of of the Brookhill Ferry which originally some 95 feet long. 

One of the most interesting pieces of the old Brookhill Ferry that is presently exposed is the ship's boiler which presently rests some ten feet away from the main portion of the vessel. There are parts of the ship and potentially many more ships littered up and down the shore.

To find the shipwreck cross over the railroad tracks at North Street and River Road. If you travel down the tracks to the north you will find a path that leads down towards the river. Follow that all the way down to the shore. Once on the shore walk north along the water for about fifty yards and you will find the site quite easily.

Here is a map to a nearby business that shows the area:


Here are my photos of the Brookhill Ferry shipwreck:
















Check Out:


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