Mo. riverboat may be headed out of state

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Individuals behind the upcoming auction of the Lt. Robert E. Lee riverboat in Jefferson County, Mo., fear the craft may be headed out of state.

Both Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers territory manager Nick Pacino and Bill Manley, a co-owner of the riverboat, said the ideal result of their upcoming riverboat auction would be for the Lee to remain in the area, the St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch said Wednesday.

"I'm a local guy and would like to see it stay local," Pacino said regarding Friday's auction of the 19th-century replica riverboat.

"It's been in the area for years and years," Manley offered. "It has a lot of charisma and nostalgia."

Pacino told the Post-Dispatch there has been some interest in the area in the 1969 craft, but the majority of potential auction bidders are from out of state.

The auction official said among the likely bidders for the 17,000-square-foot riverboat are interested parties from Minnesota and New Orleans.