This is an unissued stock certificate from the Centerville & Corsica River Steamboat Company, dating to the 1880s. Printed with ornate green borders and classic engraved typography, the certificate remains blank, never issued to a shareholder.

At the top, the vignette illustration depicts a steamboat, symbolizing the company’s role in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay trade routes. 

The company operated along the Corsica River, a tributary of the Chester River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, providing a crucial link between the town of Centreville and the commercial hub of Baltimore. In an era before widespread railroads and automobiles, steamboats like these were lifelines for transporting both passengers and goods — including farm produce, oysters, lumber, and manufactured goods.

Local investors purchased shares in the company as a way to strengthen regional commerce and connect small rural communities to the broader economy. Certificates such as this represent the speculative optimism of 19th-century transportation expansion in America.

By the early 20th century, advances in railroad and automobile transport made small steamboat companies obsolete, and many, including this line, were absorbed or dissolved. Today, these certificates stand as historical artifacts, preserving the story of the Chesapeake steamboat era and its vital role in Maryland’s economic growth.

A fine piece of maritime and transportation history, perfect for collectors of regional Americana, nautical history, or antique financial documents