Smithsonian Institution Archives

Finding Aids to Personal Papers and
Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 7228
Howard I. Chapelle Papers,
1969-1975

By Richard V. Szary


Introduction

Historical Note

Descriptive Entry


INTRODUCTION

This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.


HISTORICAL NOTE

Howard I. Chapelle (1901-1975), marine architect and historian, began his career as a marine apprentice and designer in 1919. He worked for a number of shipbuilders until he went into business for himself in 1936. During this period, Chapelle also served as head of the New England section of the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey, a Depression-era project to gather information on American maritime history and provide work for destitute marine architects.

Chapelle's business was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the United States Army Transportation Corps ship and boatbuilding program. Following the war, he pursued his interest in the history of marine architecture, traveling to England in 1950 to study colonial ship design on a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1956-1957, Chapelle went to Turkey under the auspices of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization to serve as a consultant to the Turkish government on fishing vessel construction and fitting.

Chapelle was appointed Curator in the Division of Transportation, National Museum of History and Technology, in 1957. He served in that position until 1967 when he became Senior Historian. While at the Museum, he directed the planning and construction of hundreds of ship models for the Hall of Merchant Shipping. Chapelle retired in 1971, becoming Historian Emeritus in the Museum. A prolific writer, Chapelle authored a number of books on maritime history and marine architecture.


DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY

These papers of Howard I. Chapelle consist of his professional correspondence while he was Senior Historian and Historian Emeritus. Very little is concerned with Museum or Division of Transportation affairs. The correspondence concerns the history of naval architecture, amateur boatbuilding, availability of ships' plans, the restoration of historic ships, and the publication of Chapelle's later works. Correspondents include museum curators, historians, naval architects, amateur boatbuilders, and model builders.

Box 1 of 6
Folder1   Aalund - Aukstuolis
Folder2   Babb - Baum
Folder3   Beach - Bezigian
Folder4   Bianchi - Bissell
Folder5   Black - Box
Folder6   Buckle - Butt
Folder7   Bradbury - Bryant
Folder8   Cafiero- Catlow
Folder9   Century America Corporation - Clois
Folder10   Coast Guard - Costello
Folder11   Cox - Coxhead
Folder12   Cram - Cuyler

Box 2 of 6
Folder1   Dahl - Davis
Folder2   Dean - deVries
Folder3   Dickson - Dixon
Folder4   Dodge - Downer
Folder5   Dresser - Dwoskin
Folder6   Eagleson - Elsaessen
Folder7   Emmerson - Ewing
Folder8   Fairchild - Farrington
Folder9   Fenn - Fitzsimmons
Folder10   Fleetwood - Fox
Folder11   Francis Edwards, Ltd. - Fuller
Folder12   Gagnon - Getchell
Folder13   Gibson - Gotthardt
Folder14   de Graff - Gronachon
Folder15   Guild - Gwynne

Box 3 of 6
Folder1   Haase - Hamshan
Folder2   Hancock - Hannon
Folder3   Haramgall - Hayes
Folder4   Heal - Hexton
Folder5   Hickok - Hitchcock
Folder6   Hodgson - Holland
Folder7   Holm - Howland
Folder8   Hubbard - Hyer
Folder9   Ingersoll - Isensee
Folder10   Jablin - Jesberger
Folder11   Johnson - Judge
Folder12   Kahn - Kaylor
Folder13   Keene - Keysell
Folder14   Kidwell - Klettke
Folder15   Knowles - Kostalik
Folder16   Kransberger - Kyle

Box 4 of 6
Folder1   Labadie - Lawson
Folder2   Lea - Lewisohn
Folder3   Lienert - Lloyd
Folder4   Locke - Lowry
Folder5   Luke - Lyons
Folder6   McBurne - MacRae
Folder7   Mead - Meyer
Folder8   Madigan - Maynard
Folder9   Miazgowski - Mitchell
Folder10   Moloney - Mossige
Folder11   Mulcahy - Mystery Ship Seaport
Folder12   Naish - Newick
Folder13   Niblock - Nutting

Box 5 of 6
Folder1   O'Connell - Ozerdem
Folder2   Paananen - Patricelli
Folder3   Peake - Peterson
Folder4   Phillips - Piziks
Folder5   Pocius - Purdy
Folder6   Publisher's Correspondence and Contracts
Folder7   Quast - Quinn
Folder8   Rabe - Rau
Folder9   Redfearn - Rhodes
Folder10   Rice - Ritterbush
Folder11   Roach - Ronnberg
Folder12   Roosevelt - Ryder
Folder13   Saarinen - Sayre
Folders14-16   Sayle, Chalres F., 1969-1974

Box 6 of 6
Folder1   Scadding - Scott
Folder2   Seaton - Shoesmith
Folder3   Siferd - Slocum
Folder4   Smeltzer - Smith
Folder5   Snell - Sowden
Folder6   Sparre - Stewart
Folder7   Stock - Swenson
Folder8   Taggart - Tazelaar
Folder9   Tegethoff - Thurston
Folder10   Tiebout - Townsend
Folder11   Tragle - Turnbull
Folder12   Uitgeversmij "DeEsch" - Urguhert
Folder13   Vair - Voltz
Folder14   Wade - Wayne
Folder15   Webber - Werthmann
Folder16   Whalen - Whitelaw
Folder17   Wibberley - Wittholtz
Folder18   Wolff - Wylie
Folder19   Yarnall - Zoetmulder


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Revised: October 28, 2005