A. J. Meerwald

A.J. Meerwald, later known as Clyde A. Phillips, is a restored dredging oyster schooner, whose home port is in the Bivalve section of Commercial Township in Cumberland County, New Jersey. The schooner was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1995 for her significance in architecture, commerce, and maritime history.[3] She became the state tall ship in 1998.[4] Today, A.J. Meerwald is used by the Bayshore Center at Bivalve for onboard educational programs in the Delaware Bay, and at other ports in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware region.[5]

A. J. Meerwald
History
United States
OwnerBayshore Center at Bivalve
Ordered1928
BuilderCharles H. Stowman & Sons shipyard
Acquired1989
Fateeducational vessel
General characteristics
Typetwo-masted gaff schooner
Tonnage57 tons
Length85 ft (26 m) on deck
Beam22 ft (6.7 m)
Height70 ft (21 m)
Draft6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsionsail; auxiliary engine
Sail plan
  • mainsail, foresail, large jib
  • sail area: 3,562 square feet (330.9 m2)
Capacity44 passengers
Notesoak hull
A. J. Meerwald
Location22 Miller Avenue on Maurice River, Commercial Township, New Jersey
Coordinates39°14′5″N 75°1′50″W
Arealess than 1-acre (4,000 m2)
Architectural styleDelaware Bay oyster schooner
NRHP reference No.95001256[1]
NJRHP No.1039[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 7, 1995
Designated NJRHPJuly 17, 1995

History

On September 7, 1928, A.J. Meerwald was constructed and launched by Charles H. Stowman & Sons at the shipyard in Dorchester.[3] She was one of hundreds of schooners built along South Jersey's Delaware Bay shore before the decline of the shipbuilding industry which coincided with the Great Depression. During World War II, she was commandeered under the War Powers Act and turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard for use as a fireboat. In 1947, she was returned to the Meerwald family, who then sold her to Clyde A. Phillips for use as an oyster dredge.[3] In 1998, Governor Christine Todd Whitman proclaimed the schooner the "official tall ship" of New Jersey.[6]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System – (#95001256)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Cumberland County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 28, 2021. p. 2.
  3. Wren, Meghan E. (November 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: A.J. MEERWALD (Schooner)". National Park Service. With accompanying 9 photos
  4. SENATE, No. 485, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, 208th LEGISLATURE
  5. "The AJ Meerwald". Bayshore Center at Bivalve.
  6. "Schooner Clyde A. Phillips". New Jersey Historic Trust.
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