Ship construction & maritime commerce

From earliest colonial days until the post World War l era, ship construction and maritime commerce were the driving force behind Somerset's progress. Shipyards were located along Somerset's shoreline from the Village, to Pottersville, on to Brayton Point, and along Lee's River.

By the mid 19th century more than half of the town's labor force was engaged in building, equipping, or sailing ships. When clipper ships ruled the seas, James Hood's yard, on the site of Waterfront Park, built some of the finest.

Photo credit: Jillian Berube of the Envisioning Somerset Project