Starting in the 19th century, luxurious steam-powered paddlewheelers carried passengers up and down Long Island Sound, transiting between New York and Boston.
The most famous steamboat service to run the route, the Fall River Line, operated between 1847 and 1937 and carried such passengers as renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and robber baron Jim Fisk on the grandest of steamer ships.
The line was a combination of steamboat and railroad; passengers could take a train from Boston to Fall River, Massachusetts, then board a steamboat to dock in Manhattan, and vice versa.
To give you an idea of the luxury, Priscilla was outfitted with a spacious Italian Renaissance grand saloon, adorned with several thousand dollars’ worth of gold leaf and crowned with a leaded-glass electrolier seven feet in diameter.
This Soundings video has more:
The glory of the line has long since faded. However, as this Soundings article shows, there are still people who harbor a strong sense of nostalgia for these impressive ships.
