Collections by Subject: Shipping and Shipbuilding in Maryland
A Selected List of Holdings in Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
For more information about how to access materials in this guide, please visit the Maryland Room web page or fill out an information request.
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Fergusson/Hamilton papers, 1761-1827. 0.25 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Robert Fergusson (c. 1745-1813) and Alexander Hamilton (?-1799) were buying agents for Scottish trading firms during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Both Fergusson and Hamilton were born in Scotland, but came to Maryland as young men and established themselves both as agents and as men of property. Fergusson had an estate at "Mulberry Grove" near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland. Hamilton maintained a sizeable estate in Prince George's County, including more than ten slaves. The Fergusson/Hamilton papers date from 1761 to 1827, with the majority of documents dating from the 1780s and 1790s. The bulk of the papers consist of correspondence between Scottish firms such as Glassford & Company and their Maryland representatives Fergusson and Hamilton. Other documents include statements of debts incurred by planters and storekeepers with whom the agents dealt, records of the disposition of estates, and some agreements about the running of Fergusson's own estate.
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Gilbert Fraser papers, 1911-1919. 0.75 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Gilbert Fraser held various British consulate positions in New York and Baltimore and was Consul-General in Baltimore from 1913 to 1919 for Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. His diaries from 1914 to 1918 include entries on his trip to England in 1914, daily weather conditions, clippings on British wartime activities, shipping concerns and activities, spy trials, prices, social events, and private and business addresses.
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Messrs. Freeman and Almy archives, 1864. 36 items.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
In 1864, Captain Daniel C. Childs wrote from Baltimore to ship owners Messrs. Freeman and Almy in New York City. In the letters, Captain Childs discussed the purchase of an Italian brig named Gertrude, which he repaired and loaded with cargo for the West Indies. Included in the correspondence are details of the process, from the purchase of the ship at auction, to its repairs, to loading the cargo and obtaining a crew.
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Robert Garrett and Sons archives, 1830-1863. 2.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Robert Garrett, who founded his own produce and commission house in 1820, formed Robert Garrett & Sons in 1839. Garrett supported the use of railroads and canals to foster western trade. In addition, he was an American agent for several large European shipowners and had connections with financial and exporting houses in Europe. The collection includes company business records on railroads and ships.
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Robert Gilmor and William Trippe Papers, 1776-1777. 0.25 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This collection focuses on Captain Trippe's schooner "Hazzard" and trips made for Robert Gilmor and Company for supplies during the Revolutionary War. It includes business accounts for goods received, goods delivered, and wages paid to sailors, as well as correspondence and intelligence reports concerning the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay.
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Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA) archives, 1934-1970. 188.75 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The IUMSWA, founded in 1934, adopted the philosophy of industrial unionism; all shipbuilding workers, irrespective of their trade or level of skill, were brought together as one organization. The IUMSWA reached its peak in terms of membership and influence during World War II. The collection contains correspondence; reports; minutes; casefiles; publications; newspaper clippings; conference and convention proceedings; constitutions and bylaws; and speeches. It also includes regulations; press releases; statistical and other analyses; resolutions; petitions; membership lists; and legal records as well as records of locals; photographs; memorabilia; posters; and scrapbooks.
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Aubrey Land papers, 1755-1985. 2.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The collection of Dr. Land, a former full professor of history at the University of Maryland and the author of several books, includes the bookkeeping records, invoices, promissory notes, correspondence, and bills of lading of various shipping companies in England, France, Germany and Italy.
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Hervey Machen papers, 1937-1968. 41.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Machen served as Assistant State's Attorney for Prince George's County, Maryland, from 1947-1951. In 1954 Mr. Machen was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates where he served until 1964 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served there until 1968. Machen's papers include Congressional bills and document activities of the Armed Services Committee concerning ships, shipping, and abandoned ships.
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Richard P. Newton Family papers, 1925-1956. 0.75 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Correspondence comprises the largest portion of the Papers of the Richard P. Newton Family and documents the daily lives of Richard Newton, Dorothy Speilman Newton, Lillian Boehm, and some of their friends. The collection also contains religious, legal, and genealogical documents, a pair of torpedo-shaped earrings, holiday cards, and photographs. Also included are issues of two military publications: Plans of the Day and Radio Press News from the USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836). The correspondence focuses on domestic concerns and military life. The documents include certificates commemorating religious and school events, union membership, and military life. The majority of the photographs are not identified or dated. They consist of individual and group photographs and views taken from and on a ship, probably the USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836) at sea.
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Robert W. Pemberton papers, 1918-1999. 3.00 linear feet and 27 items.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Working files of Robert W. Pemberton, Jr., who was active in the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA). He was a member of IUMSWA Local 24 and these papers mostly reflect his involvement on behalf of that Union. Many of the photographs in the collection are of ships and shipyards in Baltimore.
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Andrew Pettis papers, 1924-1972. 23.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
In 1942 Pettis, a carpenter in a Portland, Maine, shipyard, joined Local 50 of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA) and was elected president of the local. Pettis transferred to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1945 and became the New England Regional Director of the IUMSWA. Pettis was subsequently elected vice-president of the IUMSWA and served as vice-president from 1950 to 1968 when he was elected president. He served as national president of the union until his retirement in 1973. The collection includes personal papers as well as records of Local 50, the New England Regional office, and the national IUMSWA office.
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Phi Mu Fraternity, 1923-1945. 5.00 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Initiates to this engineering honor society were required to prepare a research paper on an engineering topic of their choice. Among the papers are several which focus on various aspects of shipping, such as navigation of river canals and the history and construction of canals.
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James Thompson papers, 1808-1841. 6 items.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Six handwritten business letters to and from James Thompson of Pennsylvania from correspondents located in Maryland. The letters contain information concerning the cost and condition of goods such as flour, whiskey and corn and their transportation via the Tidewater Canal.
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Work Projects Administration in Maryland records, 1933-1943. 29.50 linear feet + 50 reels microfilm.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This collection consists of administrative and project records of the Maryland WPA and several of its predecessor agencies. Among these materials is an extensive run of notes, newspaper clippings, and draft articles and essays used or produced by the Maryland Federal Writers' Project between 1935 and 1939. Among these subject files are ones on the topics relevant to shipping and shipbuilding, including files on commerce and industry, labor unions, and the Naval Academy.
Maryland Manuscripts
For more information, visit Historical Manuscripts
The Maryland Manuscripts grouping consists of wide variety of materials, such as letters, diaries, printed ephemera, and business ledgers, which have been described individually. Among these items are a number that relate to shipping and shipbuilding, including claims for damaged goods, letters soliciting trade, captain's ledgers, and ships' logs.
Photographs
Among the departmental holdings are a variety of ship and boat images, dating primarily from the first third of the 20th century. The photographs show sailboats, pleasure craft, working boats, canoes, commercial ships, minor repairs on small craft, and the scrapping of a battleship.