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Maritime papers

 Collection
Identifier: M123

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Scope and Content

The collection contains information on ships and shipbuilding, chiefly in northern New England. The bulk pertains to William G. Randall and the Bath, Maine, shipbuilding company of Bibber & Randall Co. Included are correspondence and documents, a Bibber & Randall Co. ledger and letterbook, and William G. Randall's design notebooks with drawings and notes concerning several vessells (such as the Frank Haynie, the Natchez and the Kearsage). Other materials in the collection include several issues of Low's Almanac (1787-1806), some heavily annotated (by an unknown author) with observations about weather, ship arrivals, agricultural planting and local miscellany; various documents recording vessels in Portland, Maine (1789-1800); reports from the early 1900s concerning damage to Russian cruisers; and printed maritime ephemera and newspaper clippings.

Dates

  • Creation: 1787-1964, undated
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1840 - 1880

Creator

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Use of Digital Collections

Digital materials may be used for research, educational, and non-commercial purposes without our written permission. For information about publication, visit our policies page or contact scaref@bowdoin.edu.

Biographical/Historical Note

John D. Bibber and William G. Randall, master shipbuilders, established the Bibber & Randall shipbuilding company in Bath, Maine, in 1854. William G. Randall went to sea in the early 1840s, was employed at the Portsmouth Navy Yard during the Civil War, and was thought to have been employed in Bath, Maine, in 1848. In 1854, the Bath Custom House records indicate that Bibber & Randall Co. completed the 498-ton ship Sebastopol (see William Baker's A Maritime History of Bath and the Kennebeck River Region, Bath, Marine Research Society of Bath, 1973). John D. Bibber was married to Mehitable Cowen Hall. Their son, Randall Doyle Bibber, and grandson, Harold Thornton Bibber, were both graduated from the Medical School of Maine at Bowdoin College (Class of 1871 and Class of 1908)

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Materials on ships and shipbuilding, chiefly in northern New England. The bulk pertain to William G. Randall and the Bath, Maine, shipbuilding company of Bibber & Randall Co.

Arrangement

Organized in four series: Correspondence, 1847-1880; Journals and Notebooks, 1787-1905, n.d.; Financial Material, 1854-1872, Clippings and Ephemera, 1856-1865, 1951-1964, n.d.

Related Names

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Maritime Papers
Date
2011
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine 04011 Repository

http://library.bowdoin.edu/arch/index.shtml
Contact:
3000 College Station
Brunswick Maine 04011 USA
(207) 725-3288

Acknowledgment of non-neutrality

The George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, like all archives and special collections libraries, is the creation of human beings who have collected, organized, and described things in ways that reflect personal, cultural, societal, and institutional biases. Although we strive to preserve and present collections in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections, we acknowledge that our systems are neither neutral nor perfect. We encourage you to let us know if you encounter materials, descriptive language, or practices that are offensive or harmful, particularly those for which inadequate context or warning is offered. We are committed to modifying and updating our descriptive practices to use respectful and inclusive terminology and appreciate your help in this work. We look forward to supporting you in your research and learning together.