Longtime Milton businessman Jack Sanborn is currently seeking investors in order to bring the ‘Cotton Blossom’ riverboat to downtown Milton. The paddle wheel, diesel powered vessel, which is registered in the National Register of Historic Places, could find a new resting place on the Blackwater River near the boardwalk.
Sanborn, owner of Adventures Unlimited, said the acquisition of riverboat would bring more to the downtown area.
“The purpose of it is to help spur economic development,” Sanborn said. “Milton is in need of something like this.”
Once the 140 feet by 24 feet wide vessel is acquired, Sanborn said the riverboat would serve as a venue for weddings, military functions, excursions, school field trips, narrated history tours and much more.
“It will be able to go to Pensacola, if someone charter’s it there,” Sanborn said.
In anticipation of acquiring the riverboat, Sanborn recently purchased three pieces of property for $275,000 alongside the river in order to accommodate the business venture. As of this time, Sanborn said three investors have committed to joining Sanborn in the Bagdad Steamship Company.
In addition to having the Cotton Blossom benefiting downtown economic development, Sanborn said the historic vessel would be the right fit for the historical significance of the downtown area.
“It fits right in,” Sanborn said. “There used to be several paddle wheelers that operated between here and Pensacola back in the 1800’s.”
“Because of (the Cotton Blossom’s) age and because it’s on the ‘National Register,’ it will just be a part of downtown, a center piece for the riverfront,” Sanborn said. “I was president of the (Santa Rosa) Historical Society when we purchased the Imogene Theatre. I want to preserve history and this is a part of history.”
The stern wheel excursion vessel was constructed in 1928 for the Army Corp of Engineers as a push boat called “Tecumseh” which was launched on the Kanawha River in West Virginia.
In a business agreement with the Cotton Blossom’s current owner, Sanborn said he has two weeks to find the right amount of investors before the current owner puts the vessel back on the market. The riverboat is currently located in Madisonville, Louisiana.
Should the deal be finalized in the near future, Sanborn anticipates the riverboat and the company will become a success.
“We see about 50,000 people a year at Adventures Unlimited,” Sanborn said. “To get four or five thousand on board here will not be much of a problem.”
Business investors interested in learning more about the Cotton Blossom and the Bagdad Steamship Company can email Sanborn at jades1952@aol.com.
Click here for a video shot on the Coton Blossom.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local businessman seeks investors to bring riverboat to downtown Milton