The Steamship Frederick De Bary leaving the dock at Beresford, Florida near DeLand. In 1880, De Bary commissioned the shipbuilder, Pusey & Jones located in Wilmington, Delaware, to build the steamship Frederick De Bary. The steamboat was an iron-hulled side-wheeler with a vertical beam engine and a cylinder diameter of 36” with a 6’ piston stroke. The boat was 145.5’ long, 24.2’ wide, 7’9” deep, and weighed 336 gross tons, net weight: 267.91 tons.

Frederick De Bary officially became the owner on January 21, 1882 and added the FREDK De BARY to the De Bary Merchants’ Line. The steamboat had cabins for overnight stays on the Sanford to Jacksonville route. For chartered excursions, such as moonlight cruises, De Bary would hire bands, such as the Jacksonville Silver Cornet Band, to perform to entertain the travelers; de Bary did not allow liquor on his boats but would serve lemonade and ice cream. The FREDK De BARY would run on the St. Johns River and also to Savannah on what was called the Sea Island Route. During the summer months, she went north and ran from Boston to Nahant for the summer trade. In March 1883, the steamboat would be incorporated into the De Bary-Baya Merchants’ Line which was a merger of the De Bary Merchants’ Line and Col. Hanero T. Baya’s Baya Line.

On December 3, 1883, the FREDK DeBARY would burn to the waterline at the wharf at the foot of Laura Street; she was towed by the tug SETH LOW to Wilmington, Delaware where she was lengthened and completely refitted.