Hudson River Maritime Museum
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Board >
      • Join Our Board
    • News
    • Facility Rentals
    • Opportunities
  • Visit
    • Hours And Directions
    • Parking
    • Docking
    • Book A Charter
    • Rondout Lighthouse
    • Area Attractions
  • Museum
    • RiverWise
    • Museum at Home
    • Exhibits >
      • Mary Powell
      • Online Exhibits
    • Lecture Series
    • Walking Tours
    • School Programs >
      • Field-Trips
      • Hudson River Stewards
      • YouthBoat
      • Sea Scouts
    • Museum Mates
    • Group & Bus Tours
  • Boat Tours
    • All Boat Tours
    • Meet Solaris
    • Lantern Cruises
    • Sunset Cruise
    • Dual Lighthouse Cruise
    • Industrial Waterfront Cruise
    • Ecology Cruise
    • Rondout Lighthouse Tours
    • Private Charters
  • Events
    • RiverWise
    • Events Calendar
    • Online Education
    • Lecture Series
    • Sailing Conference >
      • Sailing Conference Resources
    • Visiting Vessels
    • Black History Conference
  • Boat School
    • Instructors
    • YouthBoat
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
    • Maritime Training
    • RWBS Library
    • Restoration
  • Sailing
    • Sailing School
    • Adult Sailing
    • Youth Sailing Program
    • Sea Scouts
  • Rowing
    • Rowing School
    • Rowing Programs
    • Learn to Row
  • Research
    • Research Requests
    • Collections >
      • Digital Collections
    • History Blog
    • RiverWise
    • Submerged Resources Project
    • Pilot Log
    • Hudson River History >
      • Henry Hudson
      • The Hudson River
      • Sloops of the Hudson River
      • Robert Fulton
      • Hudson River Steamboats
      • New York Canals
  • Support
    • Member Login
    • Donate Now
    • Join
    • Give
    • Museum Store
    • Pilot Gala
    • COVID19
    • Wish List
    • Volunteer
    • Boat Donations
    • Artifact Donations
    • Planned Giving
    • Our Sponsors

History Blog

The Matton Shipyard

7/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Planing mill at the Matton Shipyard, 1996 drawing by author.

​Located in Cohoes, New York, at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, the Matton Shipyard turned out barges, tugboats and other medium sized craft between 1916 and 1983. The yard is situated on low flat land on the west bank of the Hudson River on Van Schaick Island just below the mouth of the third sprout of the Mohawk River. The yard occupies approximately seven acres and during its operation, it was served by road, navigable waterways and by rail. Drawbridges and bascule bridges between Waterford and Albany posed no practical vertical clearance issues for Matton-built boats during the years in which the yard was active but the Federal Lock in Troy limited the overall size of craft produced or serviced by the yard to the dimensions of the lock chamber.  
​
Picture
John E. Matton, 1917. Photo courtesy of New York State Museum.

​The Matton family built a canalboat yard on the Champlain Canal in Waterford in 1899. In 1916 as the completion of the New York State Barge Canal neared, John E. Matton seized the opportunity to relocate the yard to the Hudson River where it would be better positioned to build and repair the larger capacity boats that could soon transit the new and greatly enlarged canal. Matton built a dock, and office, a planing mill, carpenter’s shop and floating drydock on the site and named it the John E. Matton Barge Plant. The yard benefitted from an almost immediate demand for tonnage as a result of inland shipping demands during World War I and over the next 10 years built more than 40 wooden canalboats and barges. In addition to these, the yard also built a small ferry in 1922 and a small tugboat in 1929.
​
Picture
Undated photo of shipyard workers. Photo courtesy of New York State Museum.

​John Matton’s son Ralph joined the firm after graduating from the Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in 1922 and the name of the yard was changed to John E. Matton & Son, Inc. During the 1930s, additional land was purchased and new storage buildings and shops were added to the facility. The site was prone to seasonal flooding but its buildings and facilities proved largely resilient.
 
In 1938, the Matton yard began the first of many steel tugboats. The 119-ton tug was launched the following year and named for John E. Matton who suffered a debilitating stoke that year. Thereafter, Ralph Matton assumed control of the firm’s operations.  John E. Matton died in 1959.
 
The shipyard expanded its physical plant and workforce during World War II as it accommodated the demand for military contracts. During the war years, the yard produced 12 tugboats, an oil barge and six 110 foot long wooden submarine chasers under government contracts. New facilities were added to the plant including a warehouse and lofting building, a stores building and a watchman’s office, kennel and perimeter fencing for security. Barracks were built for military personnel assigned to the yard.  By the end of the war, the yard employed 340 men.
Picture
The yard as it appeared circa 1949. Photo courtesy of the Canal Society of New York State.
  
​The Matton yard launched a 210 foot-long oil barge for the Oil Transfer Co. in 1949 on new steel ways that led into the Hudson River. Military contracts for tugs, scows and lighters were let during the Korean Conflict and in 1954, Matton took over a contract to build 15 tugs from American Boiler Works in Erie, Pennsylvania. Commercial tugs continued to be built until Ralph Matton’s death in 1964. The yard was sold to Bart Turecamo of Turecamo Towing shortly thereafter but continued in operation as the Matton Shipyard Co. Turecamo, based in Brooklyn, operated the yard in a manner similar to his predecessors. Oral histories suggest that the manual process of lofting boats and cutting out full scale framing templates continued and that the antiquated belt driven machinery in the planing mill also continued in use. Boats were still launched using a team that drove wedges to transfer the weight of a boat from the building ways to the launching ways. Launches were traditionally scheduled for Friday mornings so that employees could have a catered lunch and then take the afternoon off.
​
Picture
Launch of the tugboat Mary Turecamo, 1982. Photo courtesy of the Canal Society of New York State.
​
​Between 1966 and 1983, Turecamo built nine commercial tugs and four launches for the New York City Police Department. The last boat built by the firm, the 106-foot tugboat Mary Turecamo, hull no. 345, was launched in 1982. The yard was subsequently sold to a commercial sandblasting company which operated on the site briefly before selling it to the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation for use as future parkland.
 
The lightly-framed shipyard buildings did not seem to have a future in the context of parkland development and little effort was made to maintain them. Most became ruins as roofs fell and flooding episodes gradually took their toll. Attitudes slowly changed and an appreciation for the site’s significance in regional history grew. A preservation forum was hosted by New York State Parks in 2008 and the shipyard site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. And in 2016, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor’s Heritage Fund launched the Matton Shipyard Project. This initiative has brought city, state, federal agencies and local citizens together to develop an approach to the use of the shipyard that preserves and celebrates its history, architecture and archaeology, remediates hazards and establishes public access to recreational opportunities along the Hudson River. Phase I of a three-phase plan is currently underway and addresses the removal and mitigation of hazardous materials and the stabilization of the important surviving buildings. Phases II and III anticipate the establishment of visitor facilities, shoreline stabilization and restoration and interpretation project.
Picture
Above and below: The yard as it appears today, photos by author.
Picture

Sources:
 Bowman, Travis.  National Register Nomination Form, 2009.
 Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor website, as consulted 2020.

Author

Mark Peckham is a trustee of the Hudson River Maritime Museum and a retiree from the New York State Division for Historic Preservation.
​

If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!​
Donate Now
Join Today
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    This blog is written by Hudson River Maritime Museum staff, volunteers and guest contributors.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    17th Century
    18th Century
    19th Century
    20th Century
    21st Century
    Accident
    Accidents
    African American
    African American Philanthropy
    African Americans
    Agriculture
    Albany
    Albany Rural Cemetery
    Algot J. Benson
    Alison Kraus
    American Revolution
    Amusement Parks
    Archeology
    Ashokan Center
    Ashokan Reservoir
    Atlantic World
    Automobiles
    Baldwin Shipyard
    Bannerman's Island
    Barge
    Beacon
    Bear Mountain
    Benjamin Wright
    Black History
    Boatbuilding
    Boat Christenings
    Boating
    Books
    Brickyards
    Bridges
    Britain
    Bud Atkins
    Callanan Road Improvement Company
    Canada
    Canalboat
    Canals
    Canal Workers
    Canoes
    Captain Benson
    Captain Benson Articles
    Captain Charles A. Tiffany
    Captain Samuel Schuyler
    Captain William O. Benson
    Capt. Eltinge Anderson
    Catskill And New York Night Line
    Catskill Evening Line
    Catskill Mountains
    Catskills
    Central Hudson Line
    Central Hudson Steamboat Company
    Chinese Exclusion Act
    Cholera
    Chris Mancuso
    Civil Engineering
    Civil War
    Claverack Landing
    Clean Water
    Clearwater
    Coal
    Coast Guard
    Cornell Steamboat Company
    Covered Barges
    Coxsackie Lighthouse
    Crew
    Crime
    Cross-head Engine
    Croton Aqueduct
    Danskammer Point
    Dar Williams
    Delaware Bay
    Delaware & Hudson Canal
    D&H Canal
    Disaster
    Documentary Films
    Dogs
    Drydock
    Duck Hunting
    Dutch
    Dutch East India Company
    Ed Carpenter
    Eddyville
    E. E. Olcott
    Elevators
    Environmental History
    Environmental Preservation
    Epidemics
    Erie Canal
    Erie Railroad Company
    Esopus Creek
    Esopus Island
    Esopus Meadows Lighthouse
    Excursion Boats
    Excursions
    Farmingdale
    Farmland
    Featured Artifact
    Ferries
    Ferryboats
    Fire
    Fishing Nets
    Floods
    Frances "Franny" Reese
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Freight
    French And Indian War
    Freshets
    Fruit
    George Washington Bridge
    George W. Murdock
    Ghost Fleet
    Gradual Manumission Laws
    Greenport
    Half Moon
    Halley's Comet
    Halloween
    Harlem
    Harlem River
    Harper's Weekly
    Haverstraw
    Hay
    Hay Barge
    Henry Gourdine
    Henry Livingston Jr.
    Henry Tucker
    Historic News
    History Of Medicine
    Hoboken
    Holidays
    Homer Ramsdell Transportation Company
    Hospital Ship
    Hudson Athens Lighthouse
    Hudson Highlands
    Hudson River
    Hudson River Commercial Fishermen
    Hudson River Commercial Fishing
    Hudson River Day Line
    Hudson Riverescape
    Hudson River Fishermen's Association
    Hudson River Lighthouses
    Hudson River Night Boats
    Hudson River Revitalization
    Hudson Riverscape
    Hudson River School Paintings
    Hudson River Sloop
    Hudson River Steamboat
    Hudson River Steamboats
    Hungarians
    Hyde Park
    Ice
    Ice Barge
    Ice Barges
    Ice Boats
    Ice Breaker
    Ice Breaking
    Ice Fishing
    Ice Golfing
    Ice Harvesting
    Ice Houses
    Ice Skating
    Immigration
    Indian Point
    Indigenous
    Instruments
    Iona Island
    Island Dock
    Italians
    James Murdock
    Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
    Jim Malene
    John A. Roosevelt
    John B. Jervis
    Just For Kids
    Kingston
    Kingston Point Park
    Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge
    Labor
    Lighthouse
    Lighthouse Keepers
    Lighthouses
    Lilacs
    Livestock
    Long Dock Park
    Long Island Sound Steamers
    Lumber Barge
    Malden
    Marine Academies
    Marvel Shipyard
    Matton Shipyard
    Media Monday
    Merrygoround
    Mid-Hudson Bridge
    Milk
    MLK Day
    Mountain-houses
    Muddy Paddle Able Seaman
    Muddy Paddle On The Erie Canal
    Muddy Paddle's Excellent Adventure
    Music Monday
    Nantucket
    National Maritime Day
    New Baltimore
    Newburgh
    New Jersey
    New Rochelle
    New York
    New York City
    New York Harbor
    New York State
    New York State Barge Canal
    New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation
    Nightboat
    NY
    Nyack
    On The River
    Packet Boats
    Palisades
    Paper Mills
    Parks
    Passenger Boats
    Passenger Steamboats
    Paul Robeson
    PCB Cleanup
    Peekskill
    Peekskill Riots
    People's Evening Line
    People's Line
    Peter Tucker
    Pete Seeger
    Philadelphia
    Photo Contest
    Pleasure Barge
    Pleasure Groves
    Poetry
    Pollution
    Port Ewen
    Poughkeepsie
    Poughkeepsie Transportation Company
    Poultry
    Produce
    Race Tracks
    Railroad
    Ray Ruge
    Real Estate
    Rescues
    Revolutionary War
    Rhinecliff
    Riverkeeper
    Robert Boyle
    Robert Fulton
    Rockland Lake
    Rockland Lake Lighthouse
    Romer & Tremper Line
    Rondout
    Rondout Creek
    Rondout Lighthouse
    Rosendale Cement
    Safety Barge
    Sail
    Sailing
    Saugerties
    Saugerties And New York Steamboat Company
    Saugerties Evening Line
    Saugerties Lighthouse
    Scenic Hudson
    Schooner
    Schooner Vanda
    Schuyler Steam Tow Boat Line
    Scow
    Sea Shanty
    Shad Fishing
    Shandakan
    Sheet Music
    Shipbuilding
    Shipping
    Shipwrecks
    Skillypot
    Slavery
    Slaves
    Slavic
    Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse
    Sleightsburgh
    Sloops
    Sports
    Stagecoaches
    Steamboat Biographies
    Steamboat Clermont
    Steamboat Crew
    Steamboat Hendrick Hudson
    Steamboat Mary Powell
    Steamboat Onteora
    Steamboat Rensselaer
    Steamboat Thomas Cornell
    Steamboat Ulster
    Steamer Albany
    Steamer Alexander Hamilton
    Steamer Berkshire
    Steamer-concord
    Steamer C.W. Morse
    Steamer Homer Ramsdell
    Steamer Iron Witch
    Steamer James W. Baldwin
    Steamer Mary Powell
    Steamer Naugatuck
    Steamer Onteora
    Steamer-plymouth
    Steamer Point Comfort
    Steamer Poughkeepsie
    Steamer Washington Irving
    Storm King
    Sturgeon
    Sunday News
    Sunflower Dock
    Tappan Zee
    Tarrytown
    Tivoli
    Tourism
    Towboats
    Travel
    Tug Bear
    Tugboats
    Tug Cornell
    Tug Cornell No. 20
    Tug Cornell No. 21
    Tug Cornell No. 41
    Tug Edwin Terry
    Tug George W. Washburn
    Tug J.G. Rose
    Tug John D. Schoonmaker
    Tug Jumbo
    Tug Lion
    Tug Osceola
    Tug Perseverance
    Tug Peter Callanan
    Tug Pocahontas
    Tug R.G. Townsend
    Tug Rob
    Tug S.L. Crosby
    Tug William S. Earl
    Ulster Park
    U.S. Coast Guard
    US Merchant Marine
    Water
    Westchester County
    West Point
    Whaling
    Wharf
    Wildlife
    Winter
    Winter Sports
    Women
    Women Lighthouse Keepers
    Women's History
    Women's History Month
    Women's Sports
    Wooden Ships
    Wood Pulp
    World War I
    World War II
    Yellow Fever

    RSS Feed

Hudson River Maritime Museum
50 Rondout Landing
Kingston, NY 12401

​845-338-0071
fax: 845-338-0583
info@hrmm.org

​The Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. ​

Members Matter!

Become a member and receive benefits like unlimited free museum admission, discounts on classes, programs, and in the museum store, plus invitations to members-only events.
Join Us!

Support Education

The Hudson River Maritime Museum receives no federal, state, or municipal funding except through competitive, project-based grants. Your donation helps support our mission of education and preservation.
Donate Today
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Board >
      • Join Our Board
    • News
    • Facility Rentals
    • Opportunities
  • Visit
    • Hours And Directions
    • Parking
    • Docking
    • Book A Charter
    • Rondout Lighthouse
    • Area Attractions
  • Museum
    • RiverWise
    • Museum at Home
    • Exhibits >
      • Mary Powell
      • Online Exhibits
    • Lecture Series
    • Walking Tours
    • School Programs >
      • Field-Trips
      • Hudson River Stewards
      • YouthBoat
      • Sea Scouts
    • Museum Mates
    • Group & Bus Tours
  • Boat Tours
    • All Boat Tours
    • Meet Solaris
    • Lantern Cruises
    • Sunset Cruise
    • Dual Lighthouse Cruise
    • Industrial Waterfront Cruise
    • Ecology Cruise
    • Rondout Lighthouse Tours
    • Private Charters
  • Events
    • RiverWise
    • Events Calendar
    • Online Education
    • Lecture Series
    • Sailing Conference >
      • Sailing Conference Resources
    • Visiting Vessels
    • Black History Conference
  • Boat School
    • Instructors
    • YouthBoat
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
    • Maritime Training
    • RWBS Library
    • Restoration
  • Sailing
    • Sailing School
    • Adult Sailing
    • Youth Sailing Program
    • Sea Scouts
  • Rowing
    • Rowing School
    • Rowing Programs
    • Learn to Row
  • Research
    • Research Requests
    • Collections >
      • Digital Collections
    • History Blog
    • RiverWise
    • Submerged Resources Project
    • Pilot Log
    • Hudson River History >
      • Henry Hudson
      • The Hudson River
      • Sloops of the Hudson River
      • Robert Fulton
      • Hudson River Steamboats
      • New York Canals
  • Support
    • Member Login
    • Donate Now
    • Join
    • Give
    • Museum Store
    • Pilot Gala
    • COVID19
    • Wish List
    • Volunteer
    • Boat Donations
    • Artifact Donations
    • Planned Giving
    • Our Sponsors