09/03/2026
MOUNTAIN VILLAGE 1890 & BULL SHOALS CAVERNS
THE STEAMBOAT WINDOW OF THE FLIPPIN-LYNCH HOUSE ⚓🏠
Step inside the kitchen of the Flippin-Lynch House at Mountain Village 1890, and you’ll notice an elongated, one-of-a-kind window. That isn't ordinary homestead glass—it was salvaged straight from the pilot house of the legendary White River steamboat Eliza Jane! 🚢
Built in 1874 by Captain Jim Lynch and his wife Elizabeth (daughter of Flippin founder William B. Flippin), this home was a frontier showcase. When the Eliza Jane finished its working days on the water, its captain, Albert Gallatin Cravens, passed the pilot house window to Captain Lynch to be preserved in the heart of the home.
The White River Steam Era & The McBee Legacy
Steamboating on the upper White River was a rugged trade, built on a network of close-knit rivermen and bustling landings:
• McBee’s Landing: Long before modern highways, the McBee family operated the major river hub and cotton gin at McBee’s Landing just above Cotter. Steam packets offloaded salt, dry goods, and hardware here while hauling out Ozark cotton, timber, and furs.
• The End of an Era: When the railroad lines pushed through around the turn of the century, the riverboats gave way to locomotives, and the bustling landings transitioned into history.
• A Living Connection: That heritage lives on through local families still right here in the area, like former Marion County Sheriff Carl McBee and his kin, whose roots trace straight back to those riverboat days.
Next time you visit Mountain Village 1890, stand in the kitchen of the Flippin-Lynch House and peer through the pilot house glass. You're looking through the very pane that once steered through the shoals of the White River.
Plan your visit with us this season to walk through living Ozark history—check our page for current tour times and seasonal operating days! 🌿✨