Weems Steamboat Company of Baltimore City stock certificate 1890's

Rare early MD ferry piece with stunning  vignette of a steamboat on the Chesapeake Bay. Unissued but circa 1890's. Printed date 189_.

The Weems Steamboat Company of Baltimore City was founded in 1819, and Mr. George Weems, the founder, was soon sending boats several times a week between the Patuxent River and the Port of Baltimore making several stops along the way to well-known ports such as Annapolis. From George Weems' first steamboat, The company was sold in 1904 to the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railroad Company, a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Captain Weems was the son of Captain George Weems, who established  about 1825 what was known as the Weems Line of steamboats, later known as the Weems Steamboat Company. These boats ran out of Baltimore down the Chesapeake bay and the Patuxent, Potomac, and Rappahannock rivers.  This was one of the largest and most successful transportation lines on the Chesapeake. In 1874, on the death of Cpatain Mason Weems, Mr Williams became president and manager of the company and, under his directorship, the business increased in volume and importance, becoming one of the most extensive and lucrative steamboat companies in Baltimore.  In 1904, having received a very liberal offer, he sold the property to the Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia Railway Company.