Waterfront Museum Director David Sharps (left) and museum Docent and Researcher Stefan Dreisbach-Williams (right).
By COLE SINANIAN
news@queensledger.com
There’s only one wood-covered barge in all of the five boroughs, and it’s about to get a makeover.
The Lehigh Valley 79, better known to its Red Hook neighbors as the Waterfront Museum, has for decades been a floating testament to the region’s maritime-industrial past. Now, thanks to a $410,702 state grant, the boat will be towed to Staten Island for structural repairs in the spring, while its dock will be fortified to keep the barge afloat in an age of worsening storms and rising sea levels.
Built in 1914, the boat is the project of Captain and Museum Director David Sharps, a professional juggler who spent his career performing on boats in Europe and the Caribbean. Sharps, who acquired the Lehigh Valley 79 in 1985 and has spearheaded its restoration, belongs to a presumably niche community dedicated to the art of floating theater. Visitors to the barge are greeted upon entry with a bizarre contraption that passes a ball through a series of elaborate slides and pulleys—a nod to Sharps’ juggler past.
It is among the last remnants of a period of New York history known as the Lighterage Era, during which small barges called “lighters” transported railroad cargo from railyards on the mainland to and from the islands of New York Harbor. Now, the barge offers a rare glimpse into this near-forgotten era of maritime commerce. But keeping a 112-year wooden boat afloat is no easy task— the wood structure is susceptible to rot and destructive mollusks called ship worms. With the grant, Sharps will lead structural improvements to the ship’s wood body, as well as the construction of a new mud berth that will help keep the barge grounded during storms and flood conditions.
”I bought the boat for $500,” Sharps said. “It had 300 tons of mud in it. Took two years to float it, another couple of years to get it accessible for the public.”
Despite major redevelopment coming to Red Hook in the coming years, Sharps is confident that the Lehigh Valley 79 will remain for decades to come. Docked on private land, the barge turns into a floating theater in the summer, offering concerts and children’s programming to the public. In May 2026, the barge will host a Cajun music night called “Swamp in the City.” This past May, it hosted a Moby Dick-themed performance called “Into the Charmed, Churned Circle” by NYC artist Stanzi Vaubel.
When Sharps first arrived in Red Hook in 1994, the neighborhood was what he described as a “no man’s land.” Part of his goal with the Waterfront Museum has been to build a cultural hub that draws visitors to Red Hook with the promise of a unique experience.
“Now that there’s people here, it’s our hope to provide a community space where people can come together, where diverse people can share ideas, where creative people can maybe take you out of your everyday life and maybe transport you in time,” Sharps said.
Altogether, Sharps said the repairs will take about eight weeks and will likely begin sometime in the spring. In the meantime, the Waterfront Museum has free open hours on Thursdays from 4-8pm and Saturdays from 1-5pm at 290 Conover Street in Red Hook.
