Wes Modes
A River Playlist [AUDIO]
A music playlist that you can use as the moody…
Continue reading
Shantyboat workday
Shantyboat workday
Continue reading
Found in Alex’s bathroom near the shantyboat
Found in Alex's bathroom near the shantyboat
Continue reading
At the shantyboat this morning making lists
At the shantyboat this morning making lists
Continue reading
Great rewards – Check out the Kickstarter
The work we do with the Secret History of American…
Continue reading
How shantyboats helped build a culture [VIDEO]
A great video about the project by Kirsten Dirksen âI…
Continue reading
Fair Companies: How shantyboats down the Mississippi helped build a culture
Long before Wes Modes began planning a journey down the…
Continue reading
Laughing Squid: Artist Rides Rivers in a Homemade Shantyboat to Learn About the People Who Live on the Banks
Wes Modes, an artist and lecturing professor at UC Santa…
Continue reading
Outfit the Shantyboat
As part of our upcoming fundraiser to support our summer…
Continue reading
Ask Me Anything!
We did a Reddit AMA. We've done AMAs in 2014…
Continue reading
Looking Back at the War Against the Dakota People in Minnesota [AUDIO]
I was reminded of these interviews recently, and how little…
Continue reading
Miah marveling at the amazing generous gifts flooding in
Miah in total amazement at the amazing generous gifts flooding…
Continue reading
People ask all the time about how the shantyboat was built
Now, all of the shantyboat build process is available on…
Continue reading
“Secret History shantyboat at sunset”
"Secret History shantyboat at sunset
Continue reading
“Secret History shantyboat under stormy skies”
"Secret History shantyboat under stormy skies
Continue reading
“A day off on the Secret History shantyboat”
"A day off on the Secret History shantyboat
Continue reading
Gerty Tonjum, boathouse owner, talks about river time [Video]
Gerty Tonjum, boathouse owner in Winona, MN along the banks…
Continue reading
Secret History shantyboat clean-up day and mouse habitat exploration [video]
Secret History shantyboat clean-up day and mouse habitat exploration
Continue reading
Freddie’s Dead
You may remember that our 1978 20 hp Mercury outboard…
Continue reading
A sad mouse casualty aboard the shantyboat. He may or may not have died of natural causes
A sad mouse casualty aboard the shantyboat. He may or…
Continue reading
What surprises await us in the Secret History installation media cabinet?
What surprises await us in the Secret History installation media…
Continue reading
Secret History Shantyboat after a long wet winter
Secret History Shantyboat after a long wet winter
Continue reading
This Summer’s Expedition on the Sacramento River
In previous years, Modes has exhibited the project in the…
Continue reading
Secret History shantyboat nestled in the redwoods in California
Secret History shantyboat nestled in the redwoods in California
Continue reading
A Journey Home
Two weeks in Paducah and then a hellbent journey across…
Continue reading
Tribune-Courier: Floating Artist
In general, when people are posed with the question, âWhat…
Continue reading
Shantyboat home in Felton California
Shantyboat home in Felton California. Benzy has to lift the…
Continue reading
Shantyboat in the Paducah Labor Day Parade
Shantyboat in the Paducah Labor Day Parade. Nathan Lynn playing…
Continue reading
Lowertown Paducah kiln firing
Lowertown Sunday kiln firing with Mitch Kimball
Continue reading
Looking through the Mary Wheeler collection at the Paducah Library
Looking through the Mary Wheeler collection at the McCracken County…
Continue reading
Busy day at Secret History open house
Busy day at Secret History open house
Continue reading
Secret History talk at River Discovery Center, Paducah
Secret History talk at River Discovery Center, Paducah
Continue reading
Rev Kempton Baldridge one of a few chaplains for more than 4000 towboats
Rev Kempton Baldridge one of a few chaplains for more…
Continue reading
Shantyboat On display
Shantyboat On display today and tomorrow. Open House 10-2pm Saturday…
Continue reading
Bruce Walker king of the bar-b-Que in north Paducah
Bruce Walker king of the bar-b-Que in north Paducah at…
Continue reading
Paduca Sun: Artist-in-residence Modes slated to discuss journey of shantyboat
Paducah Arts Alliance artist-in-residence Wes Modes and his 1940s-era shantyboat…
Continue reading
David Nickell talks about his family history in the Land Between the Rivers
David Nickell talks about his family history in the Land…
Continue reading
Merryman Kemp founder of Merryman House
Maryman Kemp founder of Maryman House, a shelter for survivors…
Continue reading
An afternoon by the river on the shantyboat.
An afternoon by the river on the shantyboat.
Continue reading
Louie Kirchhoff baker in Paducah for 75 years
Louie Kirchhoff who has lived in Paducah for 75 years,…
Continue reading
Nathan Blake Lynn, musician, historian, and amateur folk musicologist
Nathan Blake Lynn, musician, historian, and amateur folk musicologist. Interview…
Continue reading
Shantyboat at Paducah Farmers Market
Shantyboat at Paducah Farmers Market
Continue reading
African glass beads at the Paducah Farmers Market
African glass beads at Melanie and Erileigh's stall at the…
Continue reading
Anita Stamper, our generous host at the beautiful Mav House
Anita Stamper, our generous host at the beautiful Mav House
Continue reading
Capt Ron Gray Jr of the American Queen meets the captain of the Shantyboat Dotty
Capt Ron Gray Jr of the American Queen meets the…
Continue reading
Secret History shantyboat visits the American Queen at Port of Paducah
Secret History shantyboat visits the American Queen at Port of…
Continue reading
AL.com: On a shantyboat in Alabama, nights are hot, food is good and stories flow
Smack dab in the middle of the Tennessee River, between…
Continue reading
Paducah WPSD: Secret History of River People coming to Paducah
The River Discovery Center in Paducah will host an exhibit…
Continue reading
Secret History installation at the River Discovery Center in Paducah
Secret History installation at the River Discovery Center in Paducah
Continue reading
Shantyboat from Founder’s Room at the River Discovery Center
Shantyboat seen through the windows of the Founder's Room at…
Continue reading
West Kentucky Star: Artist Concludes Daring River Voyage in Paducah
A rustic recreated 1940s shanty boat, a daring river voyage,…
Continue reading
Age reels in a whopper
Age reels in a whopper
Continue reading
My favorite Secret History paparazzi photo
My favorite Secret History paparazzi photo. Back from the Benzy…
Continue reading
Adrian playing dress up
Adrian playing dress up. He already had the radio on…
Continue reading
Captain and two ships mates, Age and Penske, arrive after trials and tribulations at Kenlake Marina
Captain and two ships mates, Age and Penske, arrive after…
Continue reading
Oh no! Freddie’s transmission died in the middle of Lake Kentucky
Oh no! We lost the rest of Freddie's transmission in…
Continue reading
Old Danville Grain Elevator submerged by the inundated Tennessee River
Old Danville Grain Elevator submerged by the inundated Tennessee River…
Continue reading
Our first volunteer fish dinner
Our first volunteer fish dinner! When we to hop in…
Continue reading
Two Weeks in Paducah, Kentucky
Join us in Paducah Kentucky for a two week long…
Continue reading
Storm looming above the shantyboat
Storm looming above the shantyboat. Photo by Adrian Nankivell
Continue reading
Not everyone knows it’s good luck to pass under a train bridge
Not everyone knows it's good luck to pass under a…
Continue reading
Pete and Wes look at Freddie to see why we no longer have a reverse gear
Pete and Wes look at Freddie to see why we…
Continue reading
David “Scoop” Anderson who worked on riverboats and towboats for years
Davis "Scoop" Anderson who worked on riverboats and rowboats for…
Continue reading
Shantyboat in the secret abandoned MARINA OF THE DAMNED
Shantyboat in the secret abandoned marina of the planet of…
Continue reading
Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River [VIDEO & PANORAMA]
Dramatic skies over the shantyboat on the Tennessee River near…
Continue reading
Typically amazing cuisine aboard the shantyboat. The full time caterers turned out to be a great investment
Typically amazing cuisine aboard the shantyboat. The full time caterers…
Continue reading
Fishing for breakfast at the confluence of the Duck River with the Tennessee
Fishing for breakfast at the confluence of the Duck River…
Continue reading
We learn to read the river: this beautiful herringbone pattern precedes larger wind waves
We learn to read the river: this beautiful herringbone pattern…
Continue reading
Pete Selmeci who’s job is to fix big boats and move them around
Pete Selmeci who's job is to fix big boats and…
Continue reading
Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS [VIDEO]
Lost at the rainy end of the world! Next episode…
Continue reading
Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS [VIDEO]
Life without the internets! Next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Continue reading
Barges in the mist
Barges in the mist. People ask us constantly if the…
Continue reading
Secret History is largely a donation supported project and your…
Continue reading
Emergency! Out of vodka and down to a finger or two of gin
Emergency! Out of vodka and down to a finger or…
Continue reading
Gene Davidson owner of the Clifton Marina
We talked to Gene Davidson who owns the Clifton Marina.…
Continue reading
The folks at Clifton Marina treated us super decently
The folks at Clifton Marina treated us super decently. Say…
Continue reading
Glen Lineberry worked on towboats for 50 years
He worked for 40 years on line towboats that would…
Continue reading
Age and I set up for a shoot
Age and I set up for a shoot
Continue reading
Bob who is traveling from Paducah to the Gulf of Mexico via the Tombigbee River on a Seedoo stopped by Clifton to gas up
Bob who is traveling from Paducah to the Gulf of…
Continue reading
An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads [VIDEO]
An afternoon roadtrip on Tennessee back roads. Age and I…
Continue reading
Poor poor Hazel. Her paw was burnt by a falling pot of boiling water when a big yacht passed us by close and fast
Poor poor Hazel. Her paw was burnt by a falling…
Continue reading
The adventures of Peggy Sanford’s Aunt Jonnie
My Aunt, Jonnie Ruff Vailes, taught in a one room…
Continue reading
Jackie Irvin runs an opiate addiction program at Jabbok Refuge Center Church
Jackie Irvin who runs an opiate addiction program at Jabbok…
Continue reading
The fish ain’t bitin next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS [VIDEO]
The fish ain't bitin next on the SHANTYBOAT GUYS
Continue reading
Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT GUYS [VIDEO]
Serious beverage situation on the next episode of the SHANTYBOAT…
Continue reading
Main St of Saltillo leads right down a boat ramp to the river
Captivating on several levels. Main St of Saltillo leads right…
Continue reading
Saltillo’s Ghost Marina
Not sure this marina in Saltillo is going to have…
Continue reading
Oh god. We’ve entered the land of relentless biting Horseflies. No one is safe
Oh god. We've entered the land of relentless biting Horseflies.…
Continue reading
The generosity of strangers: Jesse interrupted his search for Pokémon to give us a ride to get gas and ice
The generosity of strangers: Jesse interrupted his search for PokĂ©mon…
Continue reading
Roger Lard, fisherman near Savannah TN
Roger Lard, fisherman near Savannah TN, trotline trays in the…
Continue reading
Age catching the catfishes
Age catching the catfishes
Continue reading
Adrian wearing his new Amish hat
Adrian wearing his new Amish hat
Continue reading
Living the shantyboaters celebrity lifestyle upriver at a local party beach
After our thorough ten-minute tour of Savannah Tennessee, we went…
Continue reading
Shantyboat bloody marys for three days provided by generous folks
Shantyboat bloody marys for three days provided by our generous…
Continue reading
Jabbok Refuge Center Church service just a few doors down from the Tennessee River Museum
Jabbok Refuge Center Church service. Just a few doors down…
Continue reading
At Tennessee River Museum in Savannah TN the history of Black people is completely erased
Tennessee River Museum in Savannah TN, like many river museums…
Continue reading
The landscape where one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought
Pittsburg Landing, the landscape where one of the great battles…
Continue reading
Hazel dog on the way to Cyprus Creek [VIDEO]
@GoodDogHazel on the way to Cyprus Creek
Continue reading
The Delta Mariner that carries rocket parts back and forth between Cape Canaveral and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsvile
The Delta Mariner a vessel unlike any we've seen passes…
Continue reading
Rooster’s Dogs & Burgers surrounded by hundreds of boats attending a strange boat-in only concert in Northern Mississippi
Rooster's Dogs & Burgers surrounded by hundreds of boats attending…
Continue reading