Paasch Marine Services, Inc., records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0045

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

This collection contains files of naval architect Harold Paasch. Subject files and rolled drawings for projects appear consistently for 1947-1976 and in scattered form for 1906, 1927, and 1932. The files in this collection generally apply to vessels of under 100 feet in length. Many survey and patrol boats for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were built by Paasch. The increased use of aluminum after World War II for ship construction can also be studied.

Dates

Creation: 1892-1976
Creation: Majority of material found within 1947-1976

Extent

2.75 Cubic Feet (2 record storage cartons, 1 legal manuscript box, and 1 roll storage box)

Creator

Paasch Marine Services, Inc. (Organization)

Scope and Contents

The Paasch Marine Services, Inc. Collection documents the projects of a naval architecture firm in Erie, Pennsylvania for the period 1947-1976. Scattered items also appear for 1906, 1927, and 1932. In the correspondence of owner Harold Paasch and architect Philip L. Rhodes of New York, New York are discussions of projects, details, client requests and proposed solutions. Routine matters regarding design changes also appear. The collection is not large (2.5 cubic feet and 336 drawings), but does contain a number of architectural drawings of vessels smaller than the freighters that dominate much of the material available at the HCGL. Vessels that could collectively be called utility boats are recorded in the form of fire and police craft, survey and patrol vessels for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, passenger ferries, and numerous pleasure boats.

Company History

John D. Paasch, the son of a shipbuilder from Kiel, Germany, started this business in 1866. His sons William, Fred, and John followed in his footsteps and took over the company in 1893 and named it Paasch Bros. Boat Works. In 1947, Harold Paassch took over and changed the name to Paasch Marine Services: it closed in 1980, after his death. The yard was in the east canal basin, in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Paasch Collection was transferred to the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes on March 25, 1981. The instrument of gift was signed on March 31, 1981.

Processing Information

Final processing was completed in August 1991 with the assistance of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant by Monica Manny and Mark J. Barnes.