Entrepreneurial Spirit

Entrepreneurial Spirit. Businesses of the 1800s. , Looking out at the placid channel of the water in front of you, it is hard to believe that this site was once jammed with commercial ships. Throughout the 1800s, sugar and molasses dominated Boston trade but plenty of other businesses flourished here as well. Several notable enterprises were located right on this site., [Captions:] , The Grindstone King , The large discs in the center of this 1850 photograph are industrial grindstones, used for sharpening tools and blades. They brought great wealth to Amos P. Seaman, who imported them to Boston from his native Nova Scotia, Canada., Harbor View , New York gradually surpassed Boston as the busiest port in America during the 1800s. You would never know it from this 1854 lithograph, which shows plenty of harbor traffic. This view is from Purchase Street, just north of modern-day Atlantic Wharf., Impish Icon , In 1822, British immigrant William Underwood launched a canning business on this site. His company's best-known product, deviled ham, was unveiled in 1868 by his son William James, and marketed with this distinctive logo., Typecast , Until the 1920s, printing presses relied on type: tiny metal letters and symbols. Companies like the Boston Type Foundry, established in 1817, flourished in the 19th century. American Type Founders, the company that owned the Boston Type Foundry, moved the business to this site in 1897., Fizzy Business , By 1900 nearly every U.S. drug store boasted a soda fountain, a counter serving carbonated drinks. The Arctic Soda Fountain Company (established in 1863) moved from the North Station area to this spot in 1898.