STEAMBOAT
During the 1850s, it was not uncommon to find as many as one-hundred steamboats anchored along the central levee. The steamboat connected St. Louis to the wider world and was responsible for the city's rapid economic growth in the years leading up to the Civil War. Indeed, only New York City handled more freight than the port of St. Louis. Lead from Galena, Illinois, was the most important commodity shipped to St. Louis by steamboat; other important articles of trade included flour, wheat, corn, tobacco, and pork. Some steamboats were used in unconventional ways. According to a popular story, John Berry Meachum built a steamboat to teach African-American children after authorities closed a secret school in the basement of his church for violating Missouri law.