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Introduction | Agency History | Scope and Contents | Series Description | Inventory
Introduction
The papers of the Chicago Shipbuilding Company, Chicago, Illinois, were obtained in the winter of 1967/1968 by Richard J.
Wright. They became part of the Richard J. Wright Marine Collection at Bowling Green State University, and are now part of
the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes.
The records of the Chicago Shipbuilding Company occupy nearly thirteen linear feet. The bulk of the records, which fall between
the years 1900 and 1950, document typical activities of the company including physical expansion, financial records, World
War I shipbuilding and official, legal and labor correspondence. No restrictions have been placed on the use of these materials.
The register was completed by Linda Jasperse, graduate student in the History Department, Bowling Green State University.
Agency History
The Chicago Shipbuilding Company was formed in 1890. In that same year, land was purchased from the South Chicago Brewing
Company at 101st Street and the east bank of the Calumet River as a site for the new shipyard. The shipyard was constructed
soon thereafter.
The company underwent a number of administrative changes in its early years. Initially, it was a branch of Cleveland's Globe
Iron Works. Mr. John F. Pankhurst, the vice president of the Cleveland firm, also was the Chicago company's first president.
Because of changes in stock ownership in 1892, the Chicago Shipbuilding Company was reorganized, became more independent of
the Globe Iron Works, and sought its own contracts. At this time, William L. Brown was president and Washington Irving Babcock
was general manager.
For the fledgling company, the 1890s were a prosperous decade. The shipyard expanded, more ships were built, and repair services
were provided for Great Lakes ships. William Brown and Washington Babcock provided such effective leadership that toward the
end of the decade, the Chicago Shipbuilding Company was one of the most highly regarded of all shipyards in the Great Lakes
area.
By 1898, the company was to experience even further organizational changes. It became apparent that fierce competition among
the various shipyards on the Great Lakes was undermining profit margins. The answer was consolidation; the Chicago Shipbuilding
Company joined the newly created American Shipbuilding Company.
The Chicago Shipbuilding Company, as a subsidiary of American Shipbuilding Company, continued to build ships and to do repair
work throughout the early part of the twentieth century. The company again expanded, and in 1912 it took over the Ship Owner's
Dry Dock Company of Chicago. In 1913, it closed the North Yard and built a new dry dock area near the South Yard. Today the
Chicago Shipbuilding Company is mostly involved with ship repair and operates under the name of the American Shipbuilding
Company.
Scope and Content
The records generated by the Chicago Shipbuilding Company extend from 1890 to 1962, with the bulk of the material falling
between 1900 and 1950. A single record series included in the collection dates to 1832, but it consists of land titles that
were not generated by the company.
For the Great Lakes, the maritime, or the economic historian, these records would prove to be exceedingly useful. They are
arranged chronologically by series where possible. It must be noted, however, that very early records of the company (ca.
1890) and later records (after 1950) are, for the most part, incomplete or missing. This would limit the research potential
of the collection for those interested solely in the development of the Chicago Shipbuilding Company itself. It would perhaps
present less of a problem to researchers interested in, for example, early twentieth century American shipbuilding or individual
vessel information.
The most important record series include: dry dock ledgers and reports, correspondence, surveys, and financial papers. Together,
these documents help the researcher to grasp the administrative, fiscal, and historical importance of the Chicago Shipbuilding
Company.
First, the dry dock ledgers and reports are records documenting typical activities of the company: what ships were repaired,
how long it took to repair them, and what services were rendered. The records are in convenient column form for statistical
analysis of, for example, linear growth trends in the company. The dry dock reports also include signatures of dock employees,
which may provide leads for the researcher interested in turn-of-the-century worker or labor history. The dry dock reports
comprise the most complete of all of the record groups in this collection, for they extend without gaps from 1907 to 1962.
Second, the correspondence available consists of a variety of series: official, legal, and labor correspondence. To glean
information regarding expansion, property-leasing transactions, and labor relations, these documents would be most useful.
The bulk of correspondence lies between 1915 and 1950.
Third, the South Yard surveys visually document the expansion of the main dry dock area of the Chicago Shipbuilding Company.
The blueprints, charts, and maps extend from 1894 to 1932, which covers well the early-century years of South Yard improvements.
Fourth, the daily and monthly financial papers are of importance primarily to statisticians, although the general researcher
in Great Lakes history could benefit from perusing the financial statements, for example, to better understand the company's
status at a given point in its history. This record group extends from 1909 to 1943, although many series are incomplete.
A feature of this collection is a record group entitled "World War I Shipbuilding." This group consists of contracts, payroll
bills, correspondence and superintendent's reports for the years 1917-1918. For the researcher interested in the effects of
the war years upon American industrial concerns, this record group would be of primary importance.
The remaining record groups-building materials specifications, ship tests, and land titles-would not be of considerable use
to those engaged in initial orientation to the Chicago Shipbuilding Company.
The materials in this collection are, for the most part, in very good condition. The records have not been microfilmed to
date.
Series Description
CORRESPONDENCE
CORRESPONDENCE 1900-1939 Arranged chronologically. Consists of official correspondence from miscellaneous sources.
LABOR CORRESPONDENCE 1916-1950 Arranged chronologically according to subject. Consists of incoming, outgoing and interdepartmental correspondence regarding accidents, wages, bonuses, and draft exemptions,
as well as miscellaneous correspondence.
SOUTH YARD CORRESPONDENCE 1917-1950 Arranged chronologically according to subject. Consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence regarding land, expansion and improvement of existing facilities, and machinery.
SUBJECT FILES/CASE FILES
BUILDING MATERIALS SPECIFICATIONS 1929-? No arrangement. Contains equipment specifications for the Wabash Railway Company and the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.
NORTH YARD TRANSACTIONS 1915-1930 Arranged chronologically according to subject Consists of lease and sale correspondence and appropriate documentation for transactions made.
WORLD WAR I SHIPBUILDING 1917-1925 Arranged chronologically according to subject. Consists of contracts, payroll bills, correspondence, and superintendent's reports.
REPORTS
DRY DOCK LEDGERS December 1906-July 1924 Arranged chronologically. Consists of identifying features of docked ships (tonnage, name of vessel), when and where they were docked, and a breakdown
of charges incurred for repairs.
DRY DOCK REPORTS July 1924-October 1962 Arranged chronologically. Consists of loose paper forms that include information identifying docked ships (tonnage, name of vessel), when and where
docked, and how many days passed before docks were flooded.
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
TITLES 1832-1906 Arranged chronologically. Includes abstracts and examinations of land titles.
FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
FINANCIAL RECORDS 1890-1957 Arranged chronologically. Both in ledger and loose paper format. Consists of defense bond ledgers, alphabetized and indexed financial ledgers, sales ledgers, payroll ledgers, payroll insurance
information, financial statements, machine shop ledgers, purchase orders, petty cash records, invoice registers, cost books,
balance sheets, stock certificates, memos, and tax correspondence and forms.
MAPS, CHARTS, DIAGRAMS, GRAPHS, LISTS, ETC.
SHIP TESTS 1926 Arranged chronologically. These tests resembling blueprints were designed to determine the performance of the ship propellers, boilers, pumps, engines,
etc.
SOUTH YARD SURVEYS 1894-1932 Arranged chronologically. Includes blueprints, charts, maps of the South Yard area.
Inventory
Box 1
Ledger
- Dry dock ledger-North Yard, October 1910-August 1915
- Dry dock ledger-South Yard, December 1906-July 1924
- Folders-Dry Dock Reports
- July-December 1924
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1928
- 1929
- 1930
- 1931
- 1932
- March-December 1933
- March-December 1934
- 1935
- 1936
- 1937
Box 2: Dry Dock Reports-South Yard
Folders
- February-December 1938
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1942
- 1943
- 1944
- 1945
- February-December 1946
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- January-June 1960
- July-November 1960
- March-December 1961
- January-October 1962
Box 3: World War I Building
Folders
- Contract #425, 1917
- Contract #425, 1917-1918
- Contract #425, 1917
- Payroll Bills #425, 1917-1918
- Correspondence and Reports, #425, 1917-1918
- Contract #426, 1918
- Contract #426, 1918
- Permit Bills, Payrolls, Correspondence, #426, 1917-1918
- Contract #428, 1917-1918
- Contract #428, 1918
- Correspondence, Bills, #428, Payroll, Reports, 1918-1919
Box 4: World War I Building
Folders
- Contracts #429, #430, 1918
- Correspondence and Reports, #429, 1918
- Contract #438, 1918
- Bills, Correspondence, Reports, #438, 1918-1919
- Contract #439, 1918
- Records, Correspondence, Bills #439, December 1917-July 1918
- Records, Correspondence, Bills, #439, August 1918-December 1925
- Contract #445, 1918
- Contract #446, 1918
- Correspondence, Records, Bills #445, #446, #447, 1918-1919
- Contract #448, 1918
- Correspondence, Reports, Bills, #448, 1918-1919
Box 5: World War I Building
Folders
- Power House, 1917-1918
- Dry Dock #2 Bridge, 1918
- Superintendent's Reports, December 1917-January 1918
- Superintendent's Reports, February-March 1918
- Superintendent's Reports, April-July 1918
- Superintendent's Reports, August 1918-January 1919
- Miscellaneous Bills and Payroll, 1917-1918
- Miscellaneous Bills, 1917-1918
- Correspondence regarding Needs and Appropriations, 1916-1918
- Miscellaneous correspondence, 1917-1919
- Shipbuilding-Supplies, 1917-1918
- Shipbuilding-Correspondence EFC, 1916-1917
- Shipbuilding-Correspondence EFC, 1918-1923
- Shipbuilding-Correspondence regarding Daneburg (#82), 1917-1918
Box 6: North Yard
Folders
- Correspondence regarding sale-equipment, 1915
- Sale/lease inquiry, 1915-1937
- Actual lease-Republic Box Co., 1916-1924
- Actual sale-Republic Box Co., 1916-1930
- Actual lease-Hydraulic Sand & Transit Company, 1918-1924
- Actual sale-Construction Mat. Corp., 1929-1934
- Actual sale/lease-Hoskins Coal & Dock Co., 1935-1939
- Actual sale/lease-Moulding-Brown Company, 1931-1936
Box 7
Folders
- Examinations of title-sections of land, 1832-1888
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding requisitioned land, 1917-1918
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding requisitioned land, 1919-1920
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding expansion & improvement, 1918
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding expansion & improvement, 1918-1919
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding expansion & improvement, 1918-1920
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding land description, 1925-1936
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding East 100th Street, 1917-1918
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding East 100th Street opening, 1919-1923
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding South Yard Property, 1920-1931
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding depreciation, repair, replacement of machinery, 1937-1944
- South Yard-Correspondence regarding depreciation, repair, replacement of machinery, 1945-1950
Box 8: Labor Correspondence
Folders
- Miscellaneous, 1916-1918
- Miscellaneous, 1919-1927
- Regarding Accidents, 1919-1937
- Regarding Assignment Wages, 1917, 1919
- Regarding Hog Island, October-November 1918
- Regarding Draft Exemptions, 1917-1918
- Regarding Riveters, 1917
- Regarding Wages and Hours, 1916-1920
- Regarding Unpaid Bonus Claims, 1920
- Regarding Unpaid Bonus Claims, 1919-1923
- Regarding Paid Bonus, 1917-1920
- 1942-1944
- 1945
- 1946
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
Box 9
Folders
- Ledgers-Defense Bonds, 1942-1943
- Ledgers-Defense Bonds, 1942-1943
- Ledgers-Defense Bonds, 1942-1943
- Ledgers-Defense Bonds, 1942-1943
- Financial Correspondence to stockholders, 1909-1936
- Financial Correspondence Preferred and Common Stock, 1914-1921
- Financial Correspondence Preferred and Common Stock, 1922-1930
- Financial Correspondence regarding stocks and bonds, 1916-1937
- Financial Statements, 1916-1918
- Financial Statements, 1919-1920
- Financial Statements, 1921-1922
- Financial Statements, 1923-1925
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1916-1918
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1919
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1920
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1921
Box 10
Folders
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1922
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1923
- Financial Balance Sheets, 1924-1925
- Financial-Fairbanks' Memos, 1916-1918
- Financial-Fairbanks' Memos, 1919-1921
- Financial-Fairbanks' Memos, 1922-1925
- Financial-Shop inventories, January-March 1943, November 1953-March 1954
- Banking-Correspondence regarding payroll insurance, 1916-1920
- Banking-Correspondence regarding interest and reopening of Bank, 1918-1935
- Banking-Correspondence regarding signature on checks, 1921-1936
- Banking-Liberty Loans, 1917-1930
- Taxes-Correspondence/Forms, 1914-1915
- Taxes-Correspondence/Forms, 1916-1917
- Taxes-Correspondence/Forms, 1917-1921
- Taxes-Correspondence/Forms, 1918-1919
- Taxes-Correspondence/Forms, 1919-1920
Box 11: Taxes-Correspondence/Forms
Folders
- 1920, 1920-1922
- 1921, 1921-1922
- 1922, 1921-1924
- 1923, 1922-1925, 1931
- 1924, 1923-1925
- 1925, 1925-1926
- 1926, 1926-1927
- 1927, 1927-1929
- 1928 and 1929, 1928-1931
- 1930, 1930-1935
- 1931, 1931-1933
- 1932, 1932-1933
- 1933, 1933-1934
Box 12: Taxes-Correspondence/Forms
Folders
- 1933, 1935-1937
- 1934, 1934-1935
- 1934, 1935-1938
- 1935, 1935-1936
- 1935, 1937-1938
- 1936, 1936-1939
- 1937, 1937-1938
- 1938, 1938, 1939
- Goose Island, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935-1937
Box 13
Folders
- Surveys-South Yard, 1894-1917
- Surveys-South Yard, 1917
- Surveys-South Yard, 1918-1932
- Surveys-South Yard, 1919-1931
- Specifications-Building for Wabash Railway Company, March 9, 1929
- Specifications-Building for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, n.d.
- Test SS MARYLAND, August 17, 1926
- Test SS LEGIGH, August 27, 1926
- Test SS CAMBRIA, August 31, 1926
- Test SS STEELTON, September 1926
- Correspondence-regarding Perley Lowe vs. Chicago Star Construction & Dredge Co., 1900-1901
- Correspondence-People Gas Co., 1918-1939
- Correspondence-Chicago & S. Haven Steamship Co., 1919-1921
- Correspondence-Green Manufacturing Co., 1920
- Correspondence-General American Tank Car Corp., 1920-1922
- Correspondence-Central Dredging Co., 1922-1924
- Correspondence-Commonwealth Edison Co., 1927-1935
Box 14
Folders
- Correspondence-WW I Charities and Funds, 1917-1920
- Correspondence-Court Cases, 1919
- Correspondence-Bridge-North Halstead Street, 1937
- Correspondence-Docks, Dry Docks, 1919-1936
- Correspondence-Machine Shop License, 1920-1933
- Notes-Electric Switchboard, n.d.
- Correspondence, miscellaneous, 1915-1923
- Correspondence, miscellaneous, 1923-1938
- Comparative Trial Balances, July 1899, July, August, November, December 1903
- Comparative Trial Balances, January, February, March, April 1904
Box 15: Financial Ledgers-General, alphabetized and indexed
Volumes
- April 1902-June 1918
- July 1918-June 1919
- July 1919-June 1920
Box 16: Ledgers
Volumes
- Financial, November 1906-June 1907
- Financial, November 1906-July 1912, August 1918-March 1919
- Sales-North Plant, November 1906-July 1913
- Cash-Sales, March 1934-March 1954
- Payroll, January 1907-June 1911
- Payroll, December 1916-December 1919
- Payroll, January 1920-October 1926
- Monthly Scrap Report, July 1921-November 1926
- Monthly Scrap Report, December 1926-May 1942
Box 17
Volumes
- Appraisal of North Plant, 1914 indexed, 1914
- Appraisal of South Plant, 1914 indexed, 1914
- Appraisal of South Plant, 1917 indexed, 1917
- Financial Ledger-Purchase Orders, January 1938-December 1949
- Financial Ledger-Purchase Orders, January 1950-December 1953
- Financial Ledger-Petty Cash, July 1929-June 1934
- Financial Ledger-Petty Cash, July 1934-June 1939
- Financial Ledger-Petty Cash, July 1939-June 1943
- Financial Ledger-Petty Cash, July 1943-December 1951
- Financial Ledger-Petty Cash, March 1956-December 1957
- Financial Ledger-Unbilled Dry Work, January 1936-December 1946
- Financial Ledger-Fuel, May 1946-April 1954
- Financial Ledger-General, December 1951-May 1955
Box 18
Volumes
- Financial Ledger-General, July 1933-June 1941
- Financial Ledger-General, July 1941-June 1946
- Financial Ledger-General, July 1946-February 1951
- Financial Ledger-General, March-June 1951
- Abstract of Title, 1832-1906
- Abstract of Title, 1837-1899
- Examination of Title, 1832-1881
Box 19
Volumes
- Financial Ledger, alphabetized, November 1900-June 1916
- Financial Ledger, alphabetized and indexed, November 1906-July 1912
Oversize Volumes
Wrapped Packages
- Stock Certificate Book, #1-150, July 1892
Financial Ledger-Trial Balance Book, 1919-1922 Financial Ledger-plus record of L. L., November 1906-June 1912, December 1917 Financial Ledger-indexed, July 1916-June 1918
- Sales Registers, July 1913-December 1917
January 1918-June 1922 July 1922-June 1924
- Cash-Financial Ledgers, July 1905-June 1911
July 1911-December 1916
- Cash-Financial Ledgers, December 1916-May 1920
May 1920-August 1926
- Cash-Financial Ledgers, September 1926-December 1930
July 1941-September 1951
- Register for Audited Invoices, July 1919-June 1922
- Financial Ledgers, April 1918-June 1927
July 1927-June 1935 June 1937-June 1949
- Cost Book-Barges #17, #18, #19, indexed, 1895-1896
Machine Shop-Ledger, indexed, 1890-1900 Financial Ledger-Piece work, December 1925-May 1927
- Financial Record, January 1910-July 1918
Loose Papers: work on ships, 1942-1943 amounts owed by accounts, July 1931-June 1941 miscellaneous general expense ledger, July 1931-June 1943
Business Bibliography | Labor Bibliography | Vessel Design
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