Ward Engineering Company Archives and Manuscripts

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ward Engineering Company, Archives and Manuscripts, A&M 2298, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
82.2 Linear Feet 82 ft. 2 in. (178 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 document cases, 2.5 in. each); (2 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (1 folder, 0.25 in.); (1 ledger, 1 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1 in.); (map cabinets, 80 in.)
Creator:
Ward Engineering Company and McCabe, Brooks F., Jr., 1949-
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ward Engineering Company, Archives and Manuscripts, A&M 2298, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Records of a Charleston, West Virginia, business which introduced to the western waters of the United States a new design of towboat whose essential features were water-tube boilers, multiple-expansion engines, and screw propulsion; thus replacing the traditional paddle wheel towboats that navigated the Ohio and Mississippi river systems. Charles Ward (1841-1915), a British engineer, who emigrated to Charleston in 1871, founded the industry and designed these new boats. This collection consists of business correspondence, U.S. Government business papers, company financial papers, compensation files, deeds, contracts, photographs, diaries, scrapbooks, charts, catalogs, information on ships, blueprints, maps, patents, biographical information, and more.

For additional information, consult: Bobbitt, John M., "In Pursuit of a Wild Goose," Nautical Research Journal, 42 (1997): 197-212 (Regarding research using the Ward ship drawings.)
McCabe, Brooks F., and George P. Parkinson, "The 'Duncan Bruce': A Last Attempt to Revive the Sternwheel Towboat." IA: The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology, 4 (1978): 43-54.
Parkinson, George P., and Brooks F. McCabe, "Charles Ward and the James Rumsey: Regional Innovation in Steam Technology on the Western Rivers," West Virginia History, 39 (1978): 143-180. (This article is extensively footnoted with sources.)

Series include:
Series 1. Business Correspondence (1928–1931), boxes: Series 1, Box 1-53
Series 2. Business Correspondence -- U.S. Government (1926–1931), boxes: Series 2, Box 1-16
Series 3. Company Financial Records (1917–1931), boxes: Series 3, Box 1-73
Series 4. Miscellaneous Papers (1906–1942), boxes: Series 4, Box 1-4
Series 5. Compensation Claims (CONFIDENTIAL) (1925–1935), boxes: Series 5, Box 1-3
Series 6. Boiler Information, Catalogs, Patents, and Reprints (1912–1930), boxes: Series 6, Box 1-2
Series 7. Miscellaneous Business Records (1884, 1913-1955), boxes: Series 7, Box 1-12
Series 8. Deeds and Contracts (ca. 1871-1935), box: Series 8, Box 1
Series 9. Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Diaries (1883-1931), boxes: Series 9, Box 1-7
Series 10. Research Files (1857-1953, 1975-1978), boxes: Series 10, Box 1-3
Series 11. Specifications (1916-1931), boxes: Series 11, Box 1-2
Series 12. Ship Drawings (1887–1931) Series 13. Blueprints and Maps (circa 1900-1940)

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard