Industry

Industry. along the Schuylkill. , This area once hummed with the activity of cotton mills, lumber and stone yards and warehouses filled with coal and ice. In 1867, one civic booster wrote that the banks of Schuylkill were "…the best site in America for large manufactories." Industry was attracted here by undeveloped land and many workers living nearby. Convenient transportation was provided by the river and rail lines connecting to the North, West and South., [Captions:] , Built in 1870, the Tracy Worsted Mills at 25th and Spruce Streets was billed as "a show place for all those who admire and study a perfect industrial establishment." An 1873 survey documented 145 employees, including 107 girls and 3 boys., Baird's Marble Works built a large factory on the Locust Street wharf in 1865. Owner John Baird (1820-1894), an Irish immigrant trained as a marble cutter and established his business at age 21. It was the first to use steam power to cut marble slabs. The company became famous for mantels, sculpture, monuments and tombs carved from local and imported marble. One of Baird's contracts provided marble for the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The factory also featured an innovative steam-operated crane which transported blocks of marble from ships directly to the saws., Knickerbocker Ice Company operated a storage facility at 26th and Spruce Streets. Ice from Maine was transported on ships to this facility and stored here. In addition to ice, Knickerbocker also used its extensive network of horse-drawn carts to deliver coal to businesses and homeowners.