Adam and Noah Brown were American shipbuilders, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, founded a company with its name based in New York, which was active between 1804 and 1833. They built several notable vessels, including

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

's , the first steam-powered warship, and numerous naval vessels on

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and

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, during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Company history

Adam and Noah Brown were brothers from upper New York State. Noah Brown was apprenticed as a carpenter from 1785 to 1792, and worked in New York until 1804, when he and his brother Adam built the schooner ''Work'' at

Newark, Upper Canada Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region o ...

, (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Southern Ontario) for the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

. In early 1805, the brothers built a whaler at

Sag Harbor Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiners Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

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. The Browns acquired a water lot in the East River from Stanton to 3rd Street, including "Manhattan Island," in November 1807.Morrison (1909), p. 40 The island was an area of solid ground separated from the shore by salt marsh. Over the next few years the marshland was gradually reclaimed, and "Manhattan Island" eventually became part of the city. There, they built numerous sailing vessels for the merchant service. During the

they constructed the privateers '' General Armstrong'', ''Paul Jones'', '' Prince de Neufchatel'', ''

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

'', ''Yorktown'', and ''Zebra'' at New York and were then contracted to construct military vessels for the U.S. Navy. Under the general supervision of Henry Eckford, Noah Brown was placed in charge of construction on

, and from February 1813 he completed three gunboats, a despatch schooner, and the brigs and . Between July and September 1813 the Browns built the sloop in New York. From March 1814, they were based at

, where they built corvette , nine gunboats, and converted the steamer ''Vicennes'' into the schooner . From June to August 1814, at

Vergennes, Vermont Vergennes is a city located in the northwest quadrant of Addison County, Vermont, United States. The municipality is bordered by the towns of Ferrisburgh, Vermont, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vermont, Panton, and Waltham, Vermont, Waltham. As of the 2 ...

, they constructed the 18-gun brig . They then returned to New York to build

's steam battery and the torpedo-boat ''Mute'', before working with Eckford on the construction of the

ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

and at Sacketts Harbor in early 1815. Following the end of the war Noah Brown served as assistant alderman in New York's Tenth Ward representing the Republican party. This wartime activity proved very profitable, as in 1815 Adam and Noah Brown were assessed for personal taxes of $15,000 each. Noah Brown was also active in the development of real estate on the east side of the city. Early on 14 March 1824, a fire broke out in the Browns' sawmill and spread rapidly to the adjoining yard of Brown & Bell, destroying two steamboats, two brigs, and a large quantity of timber. The fire also extended to the yard of Isaac Webb & Co., where a frame building and a considerable quantity of timber was burned. Fire Engine No. 33, "Black Joke", was also destroyed in the blaze and the firemen had to jump into the river to escape. The last vessel constructed by Noah Brown was the ferryboat ''Sussex'', built for the New York and Jersey City Ferry Company in 1833.

List of ships

Ships built by Adam and Noah Brown include:Morrison (1909), pp.46−47 * ''Frances'' (1804) * ''Swift'' (1805) * ''Trident'' (1805) * ''Boneta'' (1806) * ''Maria Theresa'' (1807) * ''Pacific'' (1807) * ''

Tonquin (1807) ''Tonquin'' was a 290-ton American merchant ship initially operated by Fanning & Coles and later by the Pacific Fur Company (PFC), a subsidiary of the American Fur Company (AFC). Its first commander was Edmund Fanning, who sailed to the Qing Em ...

'' * ''Phorion'' (1807) * ''Mentor'' (1808) * ''America'' (1809) * ''Chinese'' (1809) * ''Highlander'' (1810) * ''Aricola'' (1810) * ''Colt'' (1810) * ''Ontario'' (1812) * * ''James Munroe'' (1817) * ''Horatio'' (1818) * ''China'' (1818) * ''Ajax'' (1821) * ''Montano'' (1822) * ''American'' (1822) * ''Lewis'' (1823) * ''Sabina'' (1823) * '' Natchez'', steamboat (1823) * ''Diamond'' (1823) * ''William Byrnes'' (1824) * ''Nassau'' (1824) * ''Manchester'' (1825) * ''Sussex'' (1833)

Legacy and honors

*The

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

was named in Noah's honor.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{cite journal , last=Prom, first=William J. , title=The Brothers Brown , url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/february/brothers-brown , journal=Naval History , volume=36 , issue=1 American shipbuilders Businesspeople from New York (state) People from New York (state) in the War of 1812

Company history

List of ships

Legacy and honors

See also

References