Skip to main content
Notice: The Library is open for research by appointment only, please visit our research services page for more information.

Jackson and Sharp Company blueprints

Creation: 1901-1905
 Collection
Accession: 1939

Abstract

The Jackson and Sharp Company, a manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, was incorporated in Delaware on February 24, 1869, as the successor to the partnership of Jackson & Sharp. This collection consists of blueprint floor plans for eleven cars built between 1901 and 1905, primarily for narrow-gauge lines in Maine.

Dates

  • Creation: 1901-1905

Creator

Extent

11 item(s)

Historical Note

The Jackson and Sharp Company, a manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, was incorporated in Delaware on February 24, 1869, as the successor to the partnership of Jackson & Sharp. Job H. Jackson (1833-1901), a tinsmith and mechanic, and Jacob F. Sharp (ca. 1815-1888), an experienced car builder, opened a small car-building shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1863. Wilmington was a major center for the manufacture of railroad passenger cars prior to the development of Pullman, Ill., in 1881. After the incorporation, Sharp retired in 1870, and Jackson erected the larger Delaware Car Works at the foot of 8th Street. A shipyard was added in 1875. By the late 1880s, the company was turning out about 400 cars per year, as well as streetcars, sash-work, and panelling for buildings.

The Jackson and Sharp Company was purchased by the American Car & Foundry Company in 1901. American Car & Foundry, incorporated in New Jersey in 1899, was a typical late-nineteenth-century merger of many small car-building companies. The Jackson and Sharp plant was then used primarily for export orders until around 1920. From the end of World War I to 1938, the plant was kept open by building small pleasure boats, and it was devoted to the production of minesweepers during World War II. The plant was closed around 1945.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of blueprint floor plans for eleven cars built between 1901 and 1905, primarily for narrow-gauge lines in Maine. The cars are passenger coach, plus a few combine cars, either passager-baggage, or baggage-mail. There are no complete drawing sets or elevation drawings.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Related Materials

Jackson and Sharp Company drawings and blueprints (Accession 1030), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Jackson and Sharp Company photographs (Accession 1969-036), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Language of Materials

English

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Jackson and Sharp Company blueprints
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2020: Laurie Sather

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400