Keep the Chief Uncas Afloat!

Hi, my name is Abby Teaford and I am the Boat Tour Manager for Susquehanna National Heritage Area's River Discovery Boat Tours! You may recognize me if you are one of the more than 10,000 people who have come aboard the Chief Uncas over the past 4 years. June thru October I can be found giving guided history boat tours, welcoming visitors to the Zimmerman Center, and leading our amazing Boat Tour Team.

 

When I first started working for SNHA as a boat tour guide in the height of covid in 2020, I didn't know how my life would change. As I drove on the scenic road to the Zimmerman Center I had the same awe inspiring experience many visitors to SNHA have, experiencing the Susquehanna river's beauty up close. My desire to connect people with the river's lasting legacy and historical significance started that day.

 

For 2 years I was a boat tour guide for SNHA's trial boat tour program, offering guided history tours aboard a pontoon boat. No boat tours had ever been offered on Lake Clarke, the 10 mile of section of river in front of the Zimmerman Center for Heritage, but thanks to support from the National Park Service and the DCNR, we were able to make that dream a reality. We found overwhelming support from the public for this trial program that to continue offering boat tours we had to find a bigger boat.

In 2021, SNHA purchased the Chief Uncas, a historic 113-year-old electric powered wooden tour boat to be the flagship for our River Discovery Tours. Built in 1912, for the Anheuser-Busch family, the Chief Uncas cruised the waters of Lake Otsego in New York for over a century. Beloved by generations of the Busch family and New York tourists, the Chief Uncas now lives a new life on the Susquehanna river. Today the Chief Uncas welcomes aboard passengers from far and wide to experience the Susquehanna river and learn about the region's history and heritage.

But a historic wooden boat comes with it's own unique challenges. Each year the Chief Uncas undergoes regular maintenance including replacement and revarnishing of wooden boards and upgrades to ensure she is ready for another boat tour season. Storing the boat out of the elements and maintenance repairs can come at a hefty cost each year. SNHA is working to build a official boat house to store the Chief Uncas and provide a safe home for the boat when it is out of the water.

 

We need your support to continue to care for the Chief Uncas and offer our one of a kind boat tour experiences. Your donation during ExtraGive ensures the Chief Uncas will cruise again next year and for many years to come!

The Chief Uncas is just one of the many projects that SNHA has taken on to showcase York and Lancaster's county history. At the historic Mifflin Farm, we’re preserving an important stop on the Underground Railroad, and we’re developing a world-class history center and art museum to tell the amazing stories of this region and its people. At Zimmerman offer river‑art collections, hike in Native Lands Co Park, facilitate Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Jr. Rangers and share the stories of the Susquehannock people and the river’s deep past. At Columbia Crossing River Trails Center we help people connect with the river on the Northwest Lancaster River trail and offer educational programs in the river park.

 

 

Our heritage area includes more than 50 natural and cultural sites, over 100 miles of trails, 10+ scenic overlooks, and so much more to explore. These places renew, refresh, and inspire us. They remind us of our place in the larger stories of nature, history, and community. 

I’m challenging myself to get 10 donations during ExtraGive — will you help me reach that goal?

🌊 How You Can Help

• Donate on Nov. 21 during ExtraGive

• Share this page with friends and family

• Visit us to see your support in action

Together, we can keep the stories — and the river — flowing for generations to come. Thank you for supporting the Susquehanna National Heritage Area!