Biography:

The Cramp shipyard, founded in 1830 by William Cramp, was a major employer of Kensington and Fishtown residents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company actively participated in the modernization of the shipbuilding industry, “from a craft mode of production focused around wooden sailing vessels to an industry centered around steam engines and iron and steel construction.” Throughout its long history, Cramp’s appropriated more and more space along the Fishtown waterfront, eventually acquiring the area that was once that massive Dyottville complex and later used by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The Cramp shipyard began at what is now the foot of Susquehanna Avenue, moved to the foot of Palmer Street, and eventually came to sit at Richmond and Norris Streets (appropriating most of the space between East Cumberland Street and Aramingo Avenue). At its height during World War II, it employed roughly 18,000 men and women.
William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company grew and prospered so impressively because William's sons, especially Charles, found ways to integrate production; previously, the shipbuilding industry had been characterized by subcontracting (for things like engine production) and seasonal work. After William’s death in 1879, Charles H. Cramp attempted to control all processes involved in shipbuilding – this involved appropriating more and more space along the waterfront. In 1891, he acquired the I.P. Morris Company, “one of the oldest machinery building organizations in the United States.” In 1892, Cramp acquired a Brass Foundry at York and Thompson Streets. The company grew so large that during World War I it ran out of storage space and had to use Petty’s Island as a storage yard.