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and called it Fort Independence. Later the name was changed to Salem and, in 1833, to Conneaut. The appearance of the town changed little during the shipbuilding era. The west bank of Conneaut Creek was occupied by ice houses, fish houses, and warehouses. There was also a brick building, built right on the sand. This building, the Ford House,1 was used as a hotel and was probably the first brick building in Conneaut. In the 1840's, Conneaut was a regular stopping place and wooding station for steamers. By 1870, it was a town of about 1,500 inhabitants, and supported a lighthouse, several warehouses, and a pier. Harbor improvements were slow in coming to Conneaut. The first pier was not built until 1829. From 1829 to 1839, only $43,305 was appropriated by Congress for improvements.2 Shipbuilding progressed at the same slow pace. Christopher Ford built the schooner Farmer in 1827, and the same year saw Gilman Appleby building the schooner Conneaut Packet. John Brooks built a small sloop Humming Bird in 1830, but was drowned a short time later when he fell overboard from her while off Sandusky. The sloop Dart was built at Kingsville, Ohio, in 1832, by John V. Singer, and hauled the six miles to Conneaut by oxen, where she was fitted out. She was a small vessel, being only thirty-two tons burthen and forty- five-feet in length. The Dart was typical of the small sailing vessels then trading along Ohio's shoreline. In 1833 Singer built the schooner Reindeer, and in 1834, the Oregon. James Baldwin built the schooner Commercial in 1833. On February 28, 1834, the Conneaut Steam Boat Association was incorporated by state legislative action with John Kinsman, Lester Johnson, Josiah Brown, J. H. Hall, A. Dart, Henry Keyes, Gilman Appleby, Lewis Thayer and James B. Gardner as incorporators. The object of this corporation was declared to be connected with the commerce of the northern lakes, and to maintain and perpetuate that commerce.3 On July 4, books were opened for subscription to stock, and within a few minutes some $11,000 was subscribed. It was estimated that from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars would ultimately be subscribed.4 Accordingly, George Washington Jones was brought in from Black River (Lorain) to superintend construction of this vessel. It is doubtful that Augustus Jones would permit his eighteen-year-old son to go unobserved on this, his first big shipbuilding venture, so more than likely Father Augustus was close behind. The sidewheeler was ultimately launched in 1834 as the North 20