Goldenrod (showboat)

Goldenrod was a floating theater, known as a showboat, which operated on the Mississippi River and its tributaries throughout the 20th Century. She was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on 24 December 1967 and a St. Louis, Missouri City Landmark in 1972. She was placed on the 'Threatened Historical Landmarks' list in 2001. On 21 October 2017, the boat burned to her hull and was sold for scrap. In a meeting held 15–16 August 2023, the National Park System Advisory Board (NPSAB) recommended to withdraw the National Historic Landmark designation of Goldenrod due to her loss of historical integrity. Her landmark designation was withdrawn in December 2023.

As an example of the modern era of showboats that ended in the 1920s, Goldenrod was the largest and most elaborately decorated of the showboats. She provided entertainment in the form of minstrel shows, vaudeville, and serious drama. The boat was designed in the manner of a 19th-century showboat rather than a late 20th century one, in other words, not like a paddlewheeler steamboat. She was designed in the "Steamboat Gothic" style.