To Commit Ourselves to Our Own Ingenuity

Shipbuilder’s House

Figure 15: On Mary St. (now League St.) just west of Front St. a modest frame house, similar to the home of Richard Berryman. This home was built in 1796 and is listed on the national Registry of Historic Places. The photograph is from the file of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

Artisan’s House

Figure 14: By comparison with the homes of wealthy merchants Paul Beck and Joseph Huddle, on Front St., just north of Catherine, side by side two homes of craftsmen.

Joseph Huddle House

Figure 13: On Queen St. at the intersection of Swanson St., the home of lumber merchant Joseph Huddle.

Paul Beck Home

Figure 12: On Front St, just north of Catherine St., the home and store of Paul Beck, wealthy merchant.

1794 Map

Figure 10: This portion of A.P. Folie’s 1794 map of Philadelphia shows the geographic dimensions of the “Embattled Enclave” of Southwark. The southern broundary, to the left, is Prime St. is incorrectly identified as Prune St. The northern boundary to the right is Almond St. The north-south streets are not labeled. The street immediately parallel to the Delaware River is Swanson St., the streets behind it are the numbered streets, Front, Second, Third, etc. The darken area is urban and developed; the lighter area is rural. The map is part of the HSP collection, and reproduced and used here by permission of HSP.

Humphrey’s Yard

Figure 9: This copy of a William Birch print illustrates another warship, the subscription warship, the U.S. Philadelphia, under construction in Humphrey’s Yard in Southwark. The spire of Old Swedes Church is in the background and gives some idea of scale to the immensity of the construction.
The illustration, a gift of Mrs. Joseph R. Stuib, is part of the collection at ISM, and it is used here courtesy of Craig Bruns, Collection Manager.

Scarfing

Figure 8: This original drawing shows the keel laid on blocks in the shipyard. The insert drawing shows the scarfing or method of joining the sections of the keel.

Mold Loft

Figure 7: This twentieth century photograph shows workers constructing molds from the lines drawn on the floor of a mold loft. This photograph taken at the Sun Shipyard in Chester, PA is from John H. LaDage, Modern Ship-Elements of their Design, Construction and Operation (Centerville: Cornell Maritime Press, 1965), 142.

Ship’s Hull

Figure 6: This original drawing shows the ship’s hull with Joshua Humphreys’ greatest innovation in naval architecture, his diagonal riders. The riders were installed in four sets of three: three fore and aft on both the port and starboard sides of the ship.