Found a neat piece of local history today....

Nate Grace

Nate Grace

Well-known member
On the way home from running my pup this morning, I stopped at a yard sale just down from my house. One of the guys there had this strange looking flat "rock" on a table. I asked him about it and he said he picked it up a few years ago while doing a renovation at the site where this thing came from. He only wanted $3 for it. I couldn't get the cash out of my pocket fast enough. I have a boat in my driveway that is directly connected to this object.


Think you know what it is?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-sqIEZfaJc&feature=youtu.be



Nate
 
That is very interesting, Nate. Since I live a long ways from the fishing industry, I have no idea what it would be connected with.
Al
 
A piece of hull from an early English ship. I didn't notice any copper sheathing on the exterior face. Are there any traces of copper on it?
 
Not from a boat, but this was made in the process of building a boat. Perhaps hundreds or thousands of boats. Hint: This was from a building - part of the building itself. The stuff you see on top is not wood, rather it is covering the top of wood.



Nate
 
I guess folks have given up. This is an original chunk of wall or floor from the Lowell Boat Shop in Amesbury, Mass. The layers of stuff on top of the wood are layers of paint that have built up over the last century from boatwrights cleaning their paint brushes after applying finishes to wooden boats. I have no idea how many layers there are, but the stuff on top of the wood is at least 2-3 inches thick. And, it weighs about 10-15 pounds.



Nate
 
Hi Kevin,

I'm sure you would find similar looking chunks of floor or wall in any building that produced or used paint products for a long time. I've seen similar pieces from other dory shops, although not nearly as thick and with as many layers of paint as this one. The underlying wood boards are also very old and I would guess predate the Tarr and Wonson factory. Also, the gentleman I bought this from was the head carpenter at the Lowell Shop during a renovation years ago. That's what he told me, and I believe him.


Very best,
Nate
 
The original Lowell buildings went up in the 1790s. Tarr and Wonson were built in the 1870s. If you are interested in the old Tarr and Wonson factory, check out GoodMorningGloucester.com. There are a bunch of great videos of the inside and outside of that building. The one side of the building that was leaning over was taken down about a year ago.

I'm stoked that I found this chunk of paint and wood. I have a 19' Grand Bank dory in my driveway that I've been restoring, built at Lowell's 15-20 years ago.



Nate
 
they make a nice dory for sure!!!- Graham was the guy that said it most likely was from tarr and wonson- and The oldest buildings remaining on the site are combined Greek Revival structures that were built in the 1860s. A cross-beam features annual production figures, branded into the wood from 1897 through 1919, reveal that 2,029 boats were built here, by hand, in the single year of 1911. Lowell’s Boat Shop is also a rare survivor of the many various industries for which the Merrimack River Valley region was known. From George Washington to Barack Obama, LBS has remained in operation through every US presidency on property purchased by founder, Simeon Lowell, in the 18th century. The original building burned in the 1850s- and were rebuilt on the site- and per Graham the DEP and EPA were heavily involed in the "waste" that was removed in 1995 when the work was done- Tarr and Wonson was built in 1850s- and had never been rebuilt until just a few years ago- its cool no matter!!!

Love to see pics of the Dory-
 
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