This is a collection of plans primarily for coastwise steamships and ferry boats of the New England and New York area which operated from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. These plans range in date from the1880s to to 1958. Within this collection are plans copied from originals which were part of William King Covell?s personal collection and from the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey (HAMMS) of the Works Progress Administration Project (WPA). Plans drawn as part of the HAMMS project may be purchased from the Smithsonian Institution. Original drawings by model maker F. Van Loon Ryder of New York include the steamship Mary Powell from which he built ship models.