Low Water Levels on the Mississippi Have Revealed a Sunken Ferry

A record-low Mississippi River is revealing all kinds of interesting things in Baton Rouge.

One of the interesting finds is the wreckage of the Brookhill ferry that sank more than a hundred years ago.

While State Archeologist Chip McGimsey says part of the ferry was visible during low levels on the Mississippi in 1992, you can see so much more today.

The point is, you can look, but you can't touch or take anything.

What Happened to the Brookhill Ferry?

Officials say a storm that whipped up in 1915 caused the ferry to sink, but the nightwatchman did make it out alive.

The Brookhill ferry boat was in service for Baton Rouge and Port Allen, and it was not the only one. These ferries helped to move people and cargo between the two areas. Things obviously changed when the big Mississippi River Bridge was built in 1968.

Where Do You Go to See the Ferry?

McGimsey says you can see the ferry boat by going to the levee near North and River Road Streets in Baton Rouge. Again, don't take anything. He says several people already have, but taking a "souvenir" is against state law because it's state property.

The State Archeologist says the Brookhill wasn't the only ferry lost to the Mississippi River. In the same year that Brookhill sank so did the ferry the Istrouma. It apparently sank after breaking from its moorings during a hurricane in 1915.

It was about two weeks ago when the wreckage of Brookhill was revealed to the world after all this time.