Cape Charles was established in 1884 as the southern terminus of the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad. The collection consists of photographs showing the early development of Cape Charles. Views of the wharf and harbor areas and the steamship "Cape Charles" built by Harlin and Hollingsworth of Wilmington, Delaware, comprise nearly half the collection.

This is a hand-colored lithograph by Thomas Sinclair (1807-1881) of Philadelphia showing the wharf area and in the background the town area of Florence, New Jersey, a nineteenth century leisure destination on the Delaware River in Burlington County.

The Philadelphia Maritime Exchange was formed in 1875 for the purpose of circulating marine intelligence relating to the port of Philadelphia. The records consist primarily of account books, including journals (1912-1942), ledgers (1875-1896), cash books (1875-1957), trial balances (1897-1903, 1911-1941), and invoice books (1922-1925).

William Parrott (1885-1971) was a partner of William Parrott Sons, dock builders. The account ledger covers 1911 to 1926, with index, and also includes five accounts of accidents.