Waldoboro Shipyard, Inc. Records, 1924-1947 | Maine Maritime Museum Manuscript Collection Online Catalog

Scope and Contents: The material in this collection is divided into two series, the records of the Waldoboro Shipyard, Inc., and the records of Cooney, Eckstein & Co., both of which the Cooney family was involved with. The working papers of the shipyard (2 boxes), 1942-1947, include some notes about its organization when the Cooneys took over its management, outgoing and incoming correspondence, balance sheets showing exactly what was spent on contracts and yard expenses, letters from those seeking employment, and unemployment compensation forms which actually show who worked on which contract in 1945.  Not all materials exist for all years. Catalogs sent to the shipyard from various marine suppliers make up a large portion of the collection (5 boxes).  These have been grouped according to category so it is possible, for example, to consult easily all the catalogs on plumbing.  (Appendix C contains an alphabetical list of all the companies represented.)  Included in this section are several manuals on paint specifications, rat proofing of new vessels, training, and an Interstate Port Handbook for Indiana and Illinois. The remainder of the material in the first series (3 boxes) is composed of correspondence, contracts and specifications, purchase orders, and bills or receipts for vessels built by the Waldoboro Shipyard.  Not all types of records exist for each vessel some have hardly any.  Four of the vessels, for which there is a great deal of documentation (more than one box), were harbor tugs built for the U. S. Navy in 1943.  The other vessels built by the yard were primarily commercial fishing draggers.  Since no list of the yard's vessels is known to exist, the processor has constructed one which may contain errors it is certainly not complete.  (See App. A.)  There is also material on vessels which the yard was contacted about building but did not.  (See App. B.)  This includes correspondence, some sketches, cost estimates, and occasional specifications. The second series (1 box and 1 volume) is composed of the records of Cooney, Eckstein & Co., Inc., 1924-1940, which was owned and operated by the same Cooney family which managed the Waldoboro Shipyard.  It was a wholesale lumber business which involved the purchase in Florida and Georgia of timber, primarily yellow pine, which was then sold to customers in the Northeast, including the Waldoboro Shipyard itself.  There are accounts and correspondence with some of their suppliers which include "Protests," or attempts to recover money due from bounced checks, some general accounts, and many carbon copies of records of payments made. All of the papers are in extremely good condition, although a few are on tissue paper or yellow foolscap (primarily copies) and so have the potential to become fragile.  They are also clean. Outline Series I.  Waldoboro Shipyard, Inc. A.  Organization B.  General operation 1.  Correspondence a.  outgoing b.  incoming 2.  Accounts a.  taxes b.  balance sheets c.  War Production Loans d.  purchase orders e.  inventory 3.  Personnel a.  forms b.  occupational classification c.  applicants d.  Perpetual Work Shift Schedule e.  withholding f.  unemployment compensation C.  Catalogs (divided by category) D.  Vessels built E.  Vessels not built Series II.  Cooney, Eckstein & Co., Inc. A.  Florida property B.  Lumber business 1.  general 2.  suppliers 3. accounts