Robert Moran was born in New York City on January 26, 1857. He came to Seattle in 1875, and as a mechanical engineer, engaged in shipbuilding and marine engineering. With his brothers Frank and Sherman, he established Moran Bros. Marine and Sawmill Machinery Co. in 1882, which later became Moran Bros. Co. (ship and engine builders) in 1890. In 1898, the firm built -- in the record time of only four months -- a fleet of 12 steamers and 10 barges, and delivered them on the Yukon River to carry food to the miners. The firm also built many large steel and wood vessels, including the U.S. battleship NEBRASKA. Moran served as mayor of Seattle from 1888 to 1890, overseeing both the response to the Great Fire and the development of the Cedar River water system. He was active for many years in numerous civic, professional, public, and fraternal organizations. After selling the company in 1906, Moran retired to Rosario, the estate on Orcas Island that he had designed. In 1914, he donated 5,000 acres on Orcas Island to the State of Washington, which became Moran State Park. He died in 1943 at the age of 86.
This small collection contains various materials relating to the work of the Moran Brothers Company. Many items document the company's construction of Yukon River steamers, including correspondence with Standard Oil and the transcription of a logbook from the journey to deliver the vessels to Alaska. The collection also includes a scrapbook of clippings related to the NEBRASKA.
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Betty Burns Collection on the Moran Brothers Company, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
The collection was donated by Betty Burns, Robert Moran's granddaughter, in 1972.
Photographs and photograph albums donated as part of this accession were renumbered and integrated into the Moran Brothers Company Collection (1995.49).
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