Ward Engineering Company Archives and Manuscripts A&M 2298

Ward Engineering Company Archives and Manuscripts A&M 2298


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West Virginia and Regional History Center

1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Business Number: 304-293-3536
wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com
URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu

Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center

Repository
West Virginia and Regional History Center
Identification
A&M 2298
Title
Ward Engineering Company Archives and Manuscripts 1871-1977 and undated
URL:
https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/ark:/99999/199135
Quantity
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
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 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Language
English .

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

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.

Scope and Contents

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)

Related Material

2266

Separated Material

The glass plate negatives in boxes 5 and 6 of Series 9 were removed to secure storage.

An oversize portrait of Charles Ward was separated to the A&M oversize collection under "A&M 2298."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Series 1. Business Correspondence
Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 4 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 5 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 6 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 7 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 8 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 9 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 10 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 11 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 12 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 13 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 14 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 15 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 16 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 17 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 18 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 19 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 20 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 21 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 22 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 23 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 24 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 25 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 26 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 27 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 28 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 29 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 30 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 31 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 32 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 33 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 34 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 35 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 36 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 37 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 38 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 39 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 40 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 41 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 42 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 43 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 44 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 45 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 46 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 47 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 48 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 49 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 50 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 51 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 52 Mixed Materials Series 1, Box 53 1928–1931
Scope and Contents

This series includes correspondence, telegrams, advertisements, estimates, purchase orders, blue prints, etc. regarding the acquisition of equipment and supplies necessary for boat construction; arranged chronologically by year, alphabetically therein, for the years 1928-1931.

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Series 2. Business Correspondence -- U.S. Government
Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 4 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 5 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 6 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 7 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 8 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 9 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 10 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 11 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 12 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 13 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 14 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 15 Mixed Materials Series 2, Box 16 1926–1931
Scope and Contents

This series includes correspondence, bulletins, affidavits, bid solicitations, blue prints, etc. regarding requests for information, inspections, etc.

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Series 3. Company Financial Records
Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 4 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 5 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 6 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 7 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 8 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 9 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 10 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 11 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 12 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 13 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 14 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 15 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 16 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 17 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 18 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 19 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 20 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 21 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 22 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 23 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 24 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 24a Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 25 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 26 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 27 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 28 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 29 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 30 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 31 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 32 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 33 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 34 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 34a Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 35 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 36 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 37 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 38 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 39 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 40 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 41 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 42 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 43 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 44 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 45 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 46 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 47 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 48 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 49 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 50 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 51 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 52 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 53 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 54 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 55 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 56 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 57 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 58 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 59 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 60 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 60a Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 61 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 61a Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 62 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 63 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 64 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 65 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 66 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 67 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 68 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 69 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 70 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 71 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 72 Mixed Materials Series 3, Box 73 1917–1931
Scope and Contents

This series includes product advertisements, and paid invoices for supplies, equipment, shipping, etc. These records also give a snapshot of businesses in Charleston, WV in the early 20th century, as well as information on the Ward Estate.

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Series 4. Miscellaneous Papers
Mixed Materials Series 4, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 4, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 4, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 4, Box 4 1906–1942
Scope and Contents

This series includes cost charts for ward boats, material regarding investments, personal correspondence, and other material.

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Series 5. Compensation Claims (CONFIDENTIAL)
Mixed Materials Series 5, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 5, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 5, Box 3 1925–1935
Scope and Contents

This series is confidential and can only be viewed 70 years after date of record creation. It includes correspondence and forms regarding workers compensation claims.

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Series 6. Boiler Information, Catalogs, Patents, and Reprints
Mixed Materials Series 6, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 6, Box 2 1912–1930
Scope and Contents

This series includes miscellaneous information on Ward boilers, a partial list of vessels built by Ward Engineering (1920-1929), equipment catalogs, patents for inventions of Charles E. Ward from the 1920s, and reprints of articles about Ward boats.

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Series 7. Miscellaneous Business Records
Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 4 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 5 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 5a Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 6 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 7 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 8 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 9 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 10 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 11 Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 11a Mixed Materials Series 7, Box 12 1884, 1913-1955
Scope and Contents

This series includes legal documents, title papers, reports, maps, blue prints, etc., regarding family and business affairs, such as real estate, insurance, and disposition of the Ward estate in the 1940s.

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Series 8. Deeds and Contracts
Mixed Materials Series 8, Box 1 ca. 1871-1935
Scope and Contents

This series includes checks, deeds, leases, agreements, title reports, etc.

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Series 9. Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Diaries
Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 3 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 4 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 4a Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 5 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 6 Mixed Materials Series 9, Box 7 1883-1931
Scope and Contents

This series includes photographs, mostly of Ward engines and boats, and some of the Ward family (ca. 1890s-1920s); two scrapbooks of newspaper clippings regarding Ward Engineering and the Ward family (ca. 1897-1930s); two diaries kept by Charles E. Ward (1880s); and ledger containing a guest book from Ward's display and presentation in Machinery Hall at the Chicago World's Fair (1893), as well mathematical calculations for steam engine and ship design (1894-1913).

Photographs of boats include views of construction and close-ups of details, as well as photos of completed vessels on their launch date.

The diary of May 1883 to November 1884 is available on microfilm in A&M No. 2266. Additional photographs of the Ward family may be found in A&M 2267.

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Series 10. Research Files
Mixed Materials Series 10, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 10, Box 2 Mixed Materials Series 10, Box 3 1857-1953, 1975-1978
Scope and Contents

These files were pulled by George Parkinson, former Head Curator of the WVRHC, to support the research and writing of an article he co-authored with Brooks McCabe, Jr. titled "Charles Ward and the James Rumsey: Regional Innovation in Steam Technology on the Western Rivers." Included are a ribbon copy of his article, his research notes, as well as original material from the collection, such as correspondence, publications, photographs, etc. For citations of articles he coauthored, see "Notes" in the beginning of this inventory. Volume of the following files can vary from one to several items. Dating in this series usually refers to date of creation, sometimes content.

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Series 11. Specifications
Mixed Materials Series 11, Box 1 Mixed Materials Series 11, Box 2 1916-1931
Scope and Contents

These documents record in detailed narrative the design features of various bids made by Ward Engineering and others for mostly towboats, but also for boilers, a cargo barge, a packet steamer, a floating drydock, a steel motor yacht, and a home for Charles E. Ward, among others.

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Series 13. Blueprints and Maps
Mixed Materials Map Case: 13 Drawer: 12-15 circa 1900-1940 and undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes hundreds of uncatalogued blueprints and maps, including blueprints of Ward's home in Charleston, West Virginia, various ships, locks and dams (including those completed under the Works Progress Administration), a low-rent housing project for the Huntington West Virginia Housing Authority, U.S. Corps of Engineering plans for the Ohio River, plans for the Wilson Dam in Alabama, and many other structures in West Virginia and other states and countries.

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