Weaver-Brady Papers 1816

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred citation:

Weaver-Brady Papers, Accession 38-98-b, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Summary

Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Weaver-Brady Papers, Accession 38-98-b, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of four letters from Thomas Mayburry, manager of the Etna Furnace, Pattonsburg, Botetourt County, Virginia, to his partner William Weaver(1780-1863) a merchant of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who became one of the most prominent and successful ironmasters in the Valley of Virginia. These letters complement the Weaver-Brady Papers which contain eighty volumes of the Weaver-Brady Iron Works and Grist MillRecords, 1825-1878, and other financial papers. This correspondence was apparently written about seven years before Weaver came to Virginiato supervise his Iron Works directly.

In the earliest letter, February 4, 1816, Mayburry furnishes a report on the operation of the blast furnace at Pattonsburgwhich he claims would be as good as one in Pennsylvaniaif he only had enough black laborers, inquires of the market for pig and bar iron in Philadelphiaand New York, asks Weaver's advice on the best place to sell pig iron, gives his opinion that furnaces where the ore banks are good and convenient are the best and most profitable property for an investor, mentions that Mr. Wilson's property on the river is for sale, and discusses the impossiblility of continuing to plan for a rolling mill that year unless Weaver could send him several good forgemen.

The second letter, March 3, 1816, reports that Etna Furnaceproduced 260 tons of iron in fourteen weeks, discusses the difficulty in securing a market for the pig iron produced at Etna Furnace, mentions how brisk a trade item that the bar iron was at Lynchburg, mentions progress at Retreatand how the rolling mill if built could create a market for the iron at home.

Mayburry also requests the hiring of two good refiners, hopes that the furnace at Retreatwill blow on the morrow, reports a break-in and theft at the store, sends an inventory of goods needed for the store, notes that Wilson has not yet received the patent for his land and discusses the arrangements to secure the property, March 31, 1816.

In the last letter, he begs Weaver to keep the sale of pig iron in mind, again expresses his frustration at the difficulty of hiring enough black laborers for the needs of the furnace, reports that the furnace is still blowing, agrees with Weaver about the advantage of running a rolling mill but feels that it is not yet possible, mentions Mr. Moore's property, located eight miles north of Lexingtonon the North River, as a good place to extend their iron works since it already had the dam and race complete with a forge partially built, and would have water carriage to their Union Forge. Mayburry proposes to establish at that location a forge, rolling mill, saw and grist mill, and a furnace if they can secure the property.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased on September 13, 1989.
Processing information:

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Physical location:
Physical description:
4 items