The ribs of a partially built schooner rest on the sands of the Carver Shipyard in Searsport, Maine, in John H. Snow’s Schooner On the Ways from 1918. Under the blue sky and sparse clouds, a steam shed, oakum shop and storage buildings color the background.
Carver Shipyard, named after the master shipbuilder John Carver, began producing boats in 1824. The first boat built there was the schooner Boston, which Carver himself worked on. Within 40 years, the yard produced 25 schooners, six brigs and five barks, among other ships. The yard then passed to Carver’s son George, who continued to produce boats after the death of his father. Frederick Frasier Black, author of Searsport Sea Captains, wrote, “Of the early ship builders, and there were many, John Carver was…