Chapter 7, page 202-203.
These two vessels are under construction in Bath.
In the mid-1800s, Maine supplied over a third of all the ships built in the United States. Bath was a major producer of wooden ships, and had 19 shipyards along the west bank of the Kennebec river.
The five-masted schooner on the left is the Elizabeth Palmer. The schooner on the right is the Florence Penley. The Florence Penley was launched on March 31, 1902.
Primary Sources for Finding Katahdin Chapter 7, Section 2
Item 4197
Item 9368
Chapter 7, page 206-207.
An 1847 shipbuilding contract between James L. Todd of Phippsburg and John Smith of Bath.
Todd lays out his obligations to oversee the completion of a ship. He writes a detailed account of building the ship from start to finish- from procurement of timber and materials to the launching of the completed ship into the water.
Shipyards employed many workers. Some were skilled, but the majority did heavy labor for long hours and minimal wages.
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Item 9436
Chapter 7, page 205-206.
In this 1854 contract, an unnamed worker agrees to build the frames and lay the planking of a ship for Samuel M. Knight, a shipbuilder of Falmouth.
The hull of a ship was built in three steps:
First, stretch the keel. The keel is the backbone of the ship and is made from a heavy piece of timber from which the rest of the ship can stem.
Second, build the frames, which act as the ship's skeleton.
Third, plank the frames to create the outside layer of wood, or skin, of the ship.
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Item 9402
Chapter 7, page 204.
This 1856 receipt concerns procurement of lumber and other supplies for Samuel M. Knight's shipyard.
The lumber industry and the shipyards were unquestionably tied, and productivity of both industries relied on eachother.
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Item 9395
Chapter 7, page 205-207.
The ship "Artisan" was built by Samuel M. Knight of Falmouth in 1856. This receipt outlines some of the costs incurred during the process.
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Item 6459
Chapter 7, page 203-208.
Shown here is the Beazley Shipyard located on Verona Island, overlooking Bucksport.
Item 1376
Chapter 7, page 203-208.
The "Lively Lady" is the name of this bowsprit, which was originally on the ship, Seawood.
The bowspirit is pictured at Booth Tarkington's home in Kennebunkport.
Item 6198
Chapter 7, page 203-208.
The Green Acre Baha'i School property sits on what was formerly Hanscom's Shipyard on the Piscataqua River. It was at Hanscom's that the Nightengale was built and launched in 1851.
The ship was designed by Commodore Isaiah Hanscom, and named after Norwegian singer Jenny Lind.
The nightengale was the fastest ship on the seas for a brief period during the mid-1800s. It sank off the coast of Alaska at the end of the century.
Item 1125
Chapter 7, page 203-208.
A view of Portland Harbor painted in 1853.
Fort Prebble is pictured in the foreground, and sail and steam powered ships populate the middleground.
The islands illustrated are House Island to the left, and Cushing Island to the right. The fort on House Island is called Fort Scammel.
Item 9538
Chapter 7, page 204.
This list, compiled from records at the custom houses at Bath and Portland, documents nearly a century's worth of shipbuilding in the Brunswick region.
The list documents the volume of ships and types of vessels built between 1781 and 1877.
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