Harrison New Jersey E W McClave & Son Lumber Pine Shipping Ships 1910 Real Photo Postcard
The scene depicts the vital lumber trade of the late 19th or early 20th century, where yellow pine, a crucial building material, was transported by schooner to urban centers. Schooners were a dominant vessel type for coastal and inter-coastal bulk cargo, efficiently moving timber from Southern forests to the burgeoning cities and industrial hubs of the Northeastern United States. This era marked a peak for sail-powered commercial vessels before the widespread adoption of steam and motor ships for such heavy freight.
E.W. McClave & Son, with operations in Harrison, New Jersey, and a New York City office at 18 Broadway, represents a typical regional lumber merchant facilitating this trade. The bustling waterfront scene, with manual labor and horse-drawn carts assisting in the unloading and initial distribution of the timber, illustrates the logistics of port operations before full mechanization. This infrastructure was essential for supplying the rapid construction and industrial expansion of metropolitan areas like New York and its surrounding regions.
E.W. McClave & Son, with operations in Harrison, New Jersey, and a New York City office at 18 Broadway, represents a typical regional lumber merchant facilitating this trade. The bustling waterfront scene, with manual labor and horse-drawn carts assisting in the unloading and initial distribution of the timber, illustrates the logistics of port operations before full mechanization. This infrastructure was essential for supplying the rapid construction and industrial expansion of metropolitan areas like New York and its surrounding regions.
