Thatcher Magoun (June 17, 1775 – April 16, 1856) was a shipbuilder who specialized in large ships and brigs, 250-tons and larger, built for the
China trade
The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old ...
. His reputation, according to the maritime historian Admiral
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...
, was "second to none among American shipbuilders." He was also called the "Father of Shipbuilding on the Mystic River."
Career
In 1803, Magoun established the first
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
in
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...
on what is known today as Riverside Avenue, opposite the end of Park Street.
The shipyard was called ''T. Magoun & Son.'' That same year, he laid the keel of his first vessel, the 188-ton ''Mt. Aetna'', the model of which he had made a few years before. He continued building ships at this location until 1836; eventually his yard was to be the only one in Medford with a
Shophouse
A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...
. The clipper ship
''Thatcher Magoun'' was launched in 1855. She was named in his honor.
In 1851, B. F. Delano buit two ships at the Magoun shipyard for W. W. Goddard, of Boston. Delano built the pilot boat
''William Starkey,'' a Boston schooner-rigged pilot boat built in 1854. The biggest ships built at the Thatcher Magoun shipyard at Medford were the 1,294-ton clipper ship ''Herald of the Morning'' and the 1,286-ton ''Kingfisher.''
Magoun amassed significant wealth by building 84 vessels over the course of his career. He specialized in big ships and
brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
s, which were 250-tons and larger in size, built for
Old China Trade
The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old C ...
. According to the maritime historian Admiral
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...
, Magoun's reputation was "second to none among American shipbuilders."
He was also called "the Father of Shipbuilding on the
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to t ...
",
and is buried in
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...
.
Thatcher Magoun House
Magoun built a mansion on High Street, Medford, Massachusetts which eventually became the town library.
Delano family
His daughter, Susan Bradshaw Magoun (1812-1885), married
William Adams (1807-1880). They had a daughter, Susan Magoun Adams (1848-1904) who married Eugene Delano (1844-1920). They had a son
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano (January 21, 1874 – January 12, 1960), an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long I ...
(1874-1960), who was a member of the prominent
Delano family
In the United States, members of the Delano family include U.S. presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant and Calvin Coolidge, astronaut Alan B. Shepard, and writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Its progenitor is Philippe de Lannoy (1602 ...
of
.
See also
*
60 State Street
60 State Street is a modern skyscraper on historic State Street in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Completed in 1977, it is Boston's 19th tallest building, standing 509 feet (155 m) tall, and housing 38 floor
His ...
*
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano (January 21, 1874 – January 12, 1960), an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long I ...
References
WorldCat entryFind-a-Grave entry
1775 births
1856 deaths
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