(soft music) - Millersburg was founded in 1807 by Daniel Miller.

And Daniel Miller, we find, retained the rights to have a ferry.

We believe that fairies existed here in Millersburg as early as the 1750s, but we don't have any proof of ferry boats existing in Millersburg until 1817.

So there's a long history of ferries here in Millersburg.

There were at one time, well over a hundred ferry boats that existed from Maryland through Pennsylvania, up to New York State.

Folks, this is the only one still in existence on the Susquehanna River.

(horn) - Come to Millersburg ferry.

(soft music) My name is captain Tom Mallonee, I've been here for 22 years now running the Millersburg ferry.

I'm one of the several captains, that is really got a lot of enjoyment out of this.

It's a, very much a passion in all of our lives.

We, we donate a lot of our time here to be able to enjoy this.

And the people coming on the boat are one of the biggest parts of that enjoyment sharing the river with us and the history that the Millersburg ferry provides for us.

The Roaring Bull is the same as it's been for about 104 years.

Early in the 1920s, they come up with this iteration of paddle Wheeler.

We're running across the Susquehanna river here, between Millersburg, Dauphin County and Crow's Landing Perry County, where we land there in Crow's Landing, We're about two miles south of Liverpool, Pennsylvania.

(soft music) - Diverting from my experiences as a ferryman.

I'd like to talk a little bit about my love life.

And it's sitting right behind me, the river.

We seem to have a bond, the river and I. it's beautiful, it has those islands, which have a little bit of mystery to them, and it's so great to be out there away from it all.

I'm a river man first and foremost, and I must say that I have spent a great deal of time on the water.

And I had a fantastic teacher there.

Pop Hunter was my river daddy, he told me to watch out for where the best water was.

What to do if you saw a thunderstorm coming down the river, how you should prepare for it.

And to be out on the river, when the sun is going down, see how the coloration of the river and the woods change.

Listening to these new sounds that you didn't hear before.

It was just like food for the soul, if that makes sense.

(soft music) Something else, and boy am I reminded of it whenever I hear the song, moon river, it's like whoever did that was writing about me.

And when they talk about if you're ever being a dream maker, you bet your boots (soft music)