The Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library is a special library within the St. Louis Mercantile Library, at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which is one of America's great historical research libraries, serving St. Louis and the nation since 1846.

The Mercantile Library was founded by a group of businessmen who possessed a deep interest in the close relationship to the nation's inland rivers, particularly the Mississippi. Throughout its history, individuals active in waterways businesses have been associated with the Library.

In 1985, the Mercantile Library built upon this long heritage of association with the rivers by greatly expanding its waterways-related holdings, and establishing the Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library.

The images you see here come from the collection of the Pott Library and have been taken by many photographers, both known and unknown, in many different eras. When available, contextual information has been provided.

All rights reserved. If you are interested in using an image you see here for publication or research, please see our research policies and digitization services:

umsl.edu/mercantile/research/index.html

For more detailed descriptions and metadata, as well as many more pictures and resources, visit our digital collections on the UMSL digital library!

dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/umsl/islandora/object/umsl%3A2633

Want to know more about the Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library or the St. Louis Mercantile Library?

Follow the Library on facebook:

www.facebook.com/StLouisMercantileLibrary/

See photos from our fellow transportation collection, the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library:

www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/