Southwark Foundry & Machine Co., 1895 view

In 1836, Samuel Vaughan Merrick and John Henry Towne established the Southwark Iron Foundry in Philadelphia. The works were operated by the partnership of Merrick & Towne. By 1846 they had acquired the rights to manufacture James Nasmyth's patent steam hammers—royalties were a stupendous $1,800 each—and were manufacturing them. The following year Towne left the business and the name became Merrick & Son with the involvement of John Vaughan Merrick; it would soon become Merrick & Sons when second son, William Henry Merrick, joined the firm as well.

The senior Merrick had founded the Franklin Institute, an important philosophical society in Philadelphia that advanced the causes of science and technology. As his sons became able to handle the business of Merrick & Sons, the father increasingly devoted himself to his outside pursuits. Besides the Franklin Institute, he served on various boards of directors and was active in developing and promoting the use of fire engines and also gas lighting. He served on City Council, traveled to Europe to learn about advances in gas lighting,

The Southwark Foundry & Machine Co. was established in 1863 and was operated by Merrick & Sons, consisting of Samuel Merrick, J. Vaughan Merrick, and William H. Merrick. During the early history of Philadelphia a southern section of of the city was known as the District of "Southwark". This is where the name for the company was derived.

On June 25, 1880 the Southwark Foundry & Machine Co. was combined with Porter-Allen Engine Co. after more than 5 years of inactivity. At this time the firms were merged and incorporated as the Southwark Foundry & Machine Co., still located in Philadelphia. Officers of the company were William H. Merrick, president, Charles T. Porter, vice-president, C.B. Richards, superintendent. The company manufactured the Porter-Allen high-speed engine in sizes from 100-2000 horsepower

In 1930, the company was acquired by the Baldwin Locomotive Works at which time it became the Baldwin Southwark Corporation, a subsidiary of the Works. The De La Vergne Engine Company of New York was acquired by Baldwin Southwark in 1931. There were a manufacturer of refrigeration machinery, engines, and ither machinery. Porter-Allen and Southwark steam engines were built into the 20th Century. Some of the companies records are held by the Smithsonian Institute.

Informational Sources:

• The 1848-11-11 Scientific American lists premiums awarded at the recent Fair of the American Institute, including a Silver Medal to "Merrick & Towner, Philadelphia, for a Steam Hammer."
• 1868-10-28 Scientific American has an article on Merrick & Sons' steam hammer.
• January 1869 Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Obituary Notice of Samuel Vaughan Merrick.
• Wikipiedia biography of Samuel Vaughan Merrick.
• The 2013 book The Pennsylvania Railroad, Volume 1: Building an Empire, 1846-1917, by Albert J. Churella, provides us with Towne's full name (p. 128).
• FindAGrave page for Samuel Vaughan Merrick.
• Cope, Kenneth L., American Steam Engine Builders 1800-1900, Astragal Press, Lakeville, Minnesota, Pg. 225
• Some information as to the records that the Smithsonian Institute holds is located using the following link: Smithsonian Southwark Archive
• Information on the Nasymth hammer license comes from the 1997 book Pounding Out the Profits by Douglas Freund, p. 4.