Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Portland Iron Works records, 1860-1939
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Portland Iron Works (Or.)
- Title
- Portland Iron Works records
- Dates
- 1860-1939 (inclusive)18601939
- Quantity
- 8.78 cubic feet, (1 legal document case; 24 volumes in 7 legal document cases; 24 loose volumes)
- Collection Number
- Mss 175
- Summary
- Records of an iron manufacturing company of Portland, Oregon, that produced mostly sawmill and transmission machinery. Includes financial records, letter books, time books, correspondence, patent materials, and pamphlets and brochures. Most records date from the 1880s to the early 1920s.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Portland Iron Works was founded in 1882 by Orlando Clarke and E. H. Thompson. A few years later, James A. Govanlock bought a share of the business and was active in the company until his death in 1903. Harry T. Clarke, son of Orlando Clarke, was president and manager from 1890-1918. In 1908, LeRoy Andersen joined the company as a stenographer, and in 1920, he became secretary and manager. In 1947, the Andersen family purchased Portland Iron Works from the Clarke family, making LeRoy Andersen the president. His son Lester Andersen served as president from 1969-1979; he was succeeded as president by Timothy Andersen, grandson of LeRoy Andersen.
The principal products of the plant were sawmill and transmission machinery, as well as floor and roof drains. In addition, they produced ripsaws, edgers, trimmers, steam engines, and castings for machinery. The company also contracted general iron work. During World War II, Portland Iron Works manufactured one-third of all the throttle valves used on Liberty ships.
Affiliated companies are Power Transmission Products, the General Bearing Company, Cascade Industrial Supply, the Paul Roberts Company, and the Fisher Brothers Company. Two other manufacturing divisions are PTP Machinery in Salem and PTP Hydraulics of Portland, manufacturer of hydraulic power units.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records include: Cash books (1882-1920), day books (1885-1887 and 1905-1918), inventories (1907-1926), journals (1884-1918), ledgers (1886-1928), letter books (1860-1907), petty cash books (1890-1897 and 1904-1909), sales books (1888-1897), time books (1891-1903), work order books (1885-1920), correspondence (1891-1892), and agreements (1892-1900). Records also include company pamphlets and brochures.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Portland Iron Works records, Mss 175, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library that relate to Portland Iron Works include an oral history interview with LeRoy C. Andersen, SR 9598; photographs in Photo File #1739, Portland - Business firms - Portland Iron Works; and a pamphlet, "Our first hundred years, 1882-1982: the history of Portland Iron Works," by Bob M. Seymour, call number PAM 672 S521o.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1-2 | Agreements | 1892-1899 |
1 | 3 | Brochures | 1882, 1910 |
Volume | |||
2 | 1 | Cash books | 1882-1890 |
Volume | |||
2 | Cash books | 1883-1890 | |
3 | Cash books | 1893-1901 | |
4 | Cash books | 1901-1906 | |
Box | Volume | ||
2 | 5 | Cash books | 1909-1913 |
2 | 6 | Cash books | 1913-1920 |
Folder | |||
1 | 4 | Correspondence | 1891 |
1 | 5 | Correspondence | 1896, 1899 |
1 | 6 | Correspondence | 1905-1906 |
1 | 7 | Correspondence | 1939 |
Volume | |||
3 | 7 | Day books | 1885-1887 |
Volume | |||
8 | Day books | 1905-1918 | |
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 8 | Diagrams for equipment | undated |
Volume | |||
3 | 9 | Inventories | 1907-1912 |
3 | 10 | Inventories | 1912-1917 |
3 | 11 | Inventories | 1918-1921 |
3 | 12 | Inventories | 1921-1926 |
4 | 13 | Journals | 1884 |
Volume | |||
14 | Journals | 1888-1895 | |
15 | Journals | 1896-1905 | |
16 | Journals | 1905-1918 | |
17 | Index to ledgers | 1886-1928 | |
18 | Ledgers | 1886-1887 | |
19 | Ledgers | 1888-1889 | |
20 | Ledgers | 1890-1893 | |
21 | Ledgers | 1895-1897 | |
22 | Ledgers | 1903-1907 | |
23 | Ledgers | 1923-1928 | |
Box | Volume | ||
4 | 24 | Letter books | circa 1860-1879 |
4 | 25 | Letter books | 1899 June-1900 December |
4 | 26 | Letter books | 1899 July-1900 November |
5 | 27 | Letter books | 1900 December-1902 February |
5 | 28 | Letter books | 1901 January-1901 September |
5 | 29 | Letter books | 1902 February-1903 March |
6 | 30 | Letter books | 1903 March-1904 September |
6 | 31 | Letter books | 1904 October-1905 September |
6 | 32 | Letter books | 1905 April-December |
7 | 33 | Letter books | 1905 September-1907 January |
Folder | |||
1 | 9-10 | Pamphlets | undated |
1 | 11 | Patents | 1891-1892 |
1 | 12 | Patents corrections | undated |
1 | 13 | Patents, published | undated |
Volume | |||
7 | 34 | Petty cash books | 1890-1907 |
8 | 35 | Petty cash books | 1904-1909 |
Volume | |||
36 | Plans -- inventory records | undated | |
37 | Sales books | 1888-1889 | |
38 | Sales books | 1889-1891 | |
39 | Sales books | 1891-1894 | |
40 | Sales books | 1894-1897 | |
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 14 | Specifications for machinery | undated |
Volume | |||
8 | 41 | Time books | 1891-1892 |
8 | 42 | Time books | 1892-1895 |
Volume | |||
43 | Time books | 1901-1902 | |
44 | Time books | 1902-1903 | |
45 | Work order books | 1885-1886 | |
Box | Volume | ||
8 | 46 | Work order books | 1889-1890 |
Volume | |||
47 | Work order books | 1896 | |
48 | Work order books | 1895-1920 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Iron foundries--Oregon--Portland
- Machine parts industry--Oregon--Portland
- Sawmills--Equipment and supplies
Corporate Names
- Portland Iron Works (Or.)--Records and correspondence
Form or Genre Terms
- business records
- correspondence
- financial records
- pamphlets
- patents