Records of Britt Brothers Boat Builders
Scope and Contents of the Papers
The Records of the Britt Brothers Boat builders consist primarily of newspaper clippings concerning the history of the company, the deaths of its founders, and various yachts launched by the company. The correspondence, dated after the deaths of the original Britt Brothers, comes from yacht owners researching vessels constructed by the Britts. The papers also include letterhead, timecards, and business cards for the company, as well as an early brochure or annual report. A copy of a Britt family portrait is also part of the collection, as is a catalog for marine supplies, which contains hand written notations.
Dates
- Creation: 1913 - 1990
Conditions Governing Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Conditions Governing Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
History of Britt Brothers Boat Builders
Chester L. (1866-1945) and Andrew B. (1869-1941) Britt, sons of a Harpswell, Maine, boatbuilder, moved to Lynn, Massachusetts in the 1880s and opened their first boatbuilding shop in 1902. Building first dorries, then yachts, the company gradually expanded, reaching its peak in the early 1930s. A fire in 1934 destroyed their West Lynn shop, but they continued to operate from their branch boatyards in Lynn, Saugus and Revere. Their clients included not only the wealthy, but also the U.S. government, for which they constructed patrol boats.
Extent
1 box(es) (103 pieces)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Correspondence, business cards, letterhead, timesheets, and clippings for the Britt Brothers Boat Builders of West Lynn and Saugus, Massachusetts.
Genre / Form
- Business cards
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
- Commercial catalogs
- Correspondence
- Letterheads
- Photographs
- Time cards
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Records of Britt Brothers Boat Builders
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- An Inventory of the Collection at the G.W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts Repository
G. W. Blunt White Library
Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
112 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic CT 06355 United States
860.572.5367
collections@mysticseaport.org