Document Type
Finding Aid
Publication Date
10-2025
Abstract
Gerald W. “Jerry” Sutphin was a nationally recognized river historian from Huntington. He graduated from Mullens High School and Marshall University and became an army officer. Sutphin worked for and retired from the United States Army Corps of Engineers before spending twenty years operating his own business, Visual Information Ltd. The author of Sternwheelers on the Great Kanawha River, he also wrote a number of articles and contributed to numerous publications with words and/or photographs. Sutphin provided historical presentations on the Delta Queen and other large sternwheel excursion boats and served as a consultant for several documentaries and exhibits. Sutphin was also a talented artist.
The G. W. “Jerry” Sutphin River Transportation Collection includes the correspondence and personal papers of Gerald W. Sutphin; annual reports and other documents from the United States Army Corps of Engineers; photographs, negatives, and slides documenting rivers and river transportation, particularly on the Kanawha and Ohio rivers; books and other publications; artwork, audio/video material, and artifacts. The collection is divided into nine series:
- Series I: Manuscript Materials (Boxes 1-13)
- Series II: Delta Queen Steamboat Company (Boxes 14-20)
- Series III: United States Army Corps of Engineers (Boxes 21-30)
- Series IV: Publications (Boxes 31-61)
- Series V: Albums/Notebooks (Boxes 62-64)
- Series VI: Photographs (65-93)
- Series VII: Audio/Video/Digital (Boxes 94-97)
- Series VIII: Artifacts (Boxes 98-103)
- Series IX: Oversized
Rights
Special collections material is obtained from many sources and is intended primarily for research and educational purposes. Certain works may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not governed by the department. It is up to the researcher to verify that they have permission to use these materials for publication or other activities.
Accession Number
2025/08.0894
Access and Use
For more information or to use any of these collections, contact:
Special Collections, Morrow Library
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755
(304) 696-2343
speccoll@marshall.edu
Recommended Citation
G. W. “Jerry” Sutphin River Transportation Collection, 1832-2024, Accession No. 2025/08.0894, Special Collections Department, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.
Included in
Other History Commons, Public History Commons, Social History Commons, Transportation Engineering Commons, United States History Commons
