LOWELL, Mich. (WOOD) — A piece of West Michigan history is coming down, but it's not the end of the Lowell Showboat.
Demolition crews Thursday began tearing down the Lowell Showboat to the deck, leaving only the paddle steamer. Workers will finish the rest of the demolition in spring.
The Lowell Showboat began as a civic project during the Great Depression. Community leaders wanted to attract people to downtown Lowell, so they built the showboat as an entertainment venue on the Flat River.
They named is the “Robert E Lee” in an attempt to give it a more southern feel. But thename came off the boat in 2017after criticism that the name had racist overtones — a move that came after the cityclosed the boatbecause of safety concerns.
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