[3] Goldenrod was built in 1909 by Pope Dock Company of Parkersburg, West Virginia for W.R. Markle at a cost $75,000.

[13] The Goldenrod was then purchased by a group of St. Louis businessmen headed by Frank C. Pierson and Don Franz, and restored to her original glory, and beyond.

Mr. Pierson also owned the Becky Thatcher, a former packet boat, traveling no more but moored beside Goldenrod, featuring a restaurant, lounges, and gift shop.

Beginning in the early 1960s to about 1985, the National Ragtime Festival at St. Louis was held in June aboard Goldenrod.

[14][15] Many vintage jazz and ragtime bands were featured, including Turk Murphy and The Salty Dogs.

During this same period, the National Ragtime Festivals, produced by Oakley, became an annual phenomenon on the St. Louis riverfront.

Four groups submitted proposals, and the council chose Lewis and Clark Landing, a firm headed by John Schwarz.

Schwarz' original intention was to place her in a protective basin to be constructed near her mooring location, but the plan never happened.

[16] Instead, Goldenrod was towed to a mooring spot next to the tugboat America, which was owned by Shelia Prokuski and Randy Newingham.

In 2008, Historic Riverboat Preservation Association formed, led by Steve Debellis and Jacob Medford, to restore the Goldenrod.

[16] The association wanted to keep the Goldenrod as a civic asset, such as returning her to downtown St. Louis or in a Forest Park lake.

[16] In May 2013, a court-ordered auction was held to recover over $69,000 in unpaid mooring fees to the dock owner, Pool 24 Tug Service.

[20] In 2015, the hull buckled when the vessel ended up on uneven land after river levels dropped suddenly while she was being moved to the riverbank.

[18] Work on removing interior furnishings such as chandeliers, gilded mirrors, and photographs proceeded on Saturdays and Sundays from that point until 31 March 2016.

[24][25] Several notable entertainers have performed on Goldenrod, including Red Skelton, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and Bob Hope.