Steamboat Builder. Considered by many to be the most successful steamboat builder in American history. Founder of the Howard Shipyards in Jeffersonville, Indiana on the banks of the Ohio River. Steamboats built by Howard included the “James Howard” and the second “Robert E. Lee.”  Of Civil War Fame: the “Glendy Burke,” the “General Buell” and the “Laurel Hill.” From monument inscription: “In 1876 James Howard drowned when his buggy rolled backward from a ferry into the river.” He was 62 years old. (bio by: Mike Hensley)