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TABLE OF CONTENTSInventory |
Guide to the Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records
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Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Phelps Dodge Corporation | |
| Title | Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records, | |
| Dates: | 1893-1983 | |
| Abstract: | The Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records, (3 boxes, 20 flat file drawers, 18 reels of microfilm) document the manufacturing plant’s construction and maintenance of its plant facilities, production processes, land, and products in the form of clippings, correspondence, engineering and architectural drawings, and reports. | |
| Extent: | 3 boxes, 20 flat file drawers and 18 reels of microfilm | |
| Identification: | P-13 | |
| Location: | The material is located in the Archives at Queens Library. | |
Historical/Biographical Note
The following is a chronology of Phelps Dodge Corporation’s Laurel Hill Plant starting with William Henry Nichols, the man who co-founded the original chemical plant, G.H. Nichols and Company at the site in 1872; continuing to when it was purchased by Phelps Dodge Corporation in 1930; and ending in 2000 when all the structures were finally demolished.
Chronology| 1852 | William Henry Nichols was born to George Henry and Sara Elizabeth (Harris) Nichols in Brooklyn, New York, January 9, 1852. | |
| 1870 | William Henry Nichols and his friend Charles W. Walter started making acids. | |
| 1872 | ||
| 1870s-1880s | Their sulphuric acid, produced from brimstone, was stronger than the industry standard upsetting their competition but greatly increasing their market share. | |
| 1880s | The company and adjoining landowner Samuel Schifflin purchased and filled in a portion of Newtown Creek. | |
| 1880s early | ||
| 1880 | ||
| 1881 | The company continued to enlarge and improve their plant and docks and lighters were used to ship their acids on Newtown Creek. | |
| 1884 | ||
| 1880’s mid | ||
| 1890 | This year the company built two new acid manufacturing buildings, the first of this kind in the world. | |
| 1891 | ||
| 1895 | ||
| 1899 | ||
| 1901 | ||
| 1903 | A fire, started in a building used to manufacture sulphite of copper, destroys this building and two others causing $250,000 worth of damage, to this date it was the most costly fire in Newtown. | |
| 1904 | ||
| 1912 | Another major fire occurred at the plant causing $100,000 worth of damage to a building 200 feet along Washington Avenue (now 43rd Street) and 200 feet along the Long Island Rail Road tracks. | |
| 1913 | ||
| 1914 | The plant received 150,000 tons of copper ore. | |
| 1916 | The company received approval from the New York City Board of Estimates to build a boardwalk on the stretch of land on the north side of the railroad tracks, nicknamed “Death Avenue” for the many pedestrian fatalities involving trains. | |
| 1919 | ||
| 1920 | Property is expanded when the company filled in some of Newtown Creek. That same year the company was expected to be tried for illegally building a freight shed on a portion of Creek Street (57th Avenue if it extended into the plant). | |
| 1920s | In exchange for stock in the company Phelps Dodge invested $3.5 million in Nichols Copper Company’s plant modernization projects. This increased the production of copper dramatically at the plant. | |
| 1930 | Dr. William Henry Nichols died. This same year, Phelps Dodge bought the Laurel Hill Plant. | |
| 1940 | ||
| 1940’s | During this decade the plant began importing blister copper from Africa, South America, and scrap copper from other cities, after Phelps Dodge built a refinery in El Paso, Texas. | |
| 1956 | ||
| 1963 | ||
| 1965 | Capacity of the multiple refining system was increased by 24,000 tons per year and a gas fired vertical melting furnace was installed. | |
| 1966 | The furnace for removing insulation from copper wire was “placed in limited operation,” and a new building to house equipment for the receipt and sampling of incoming materials was completed. | |
| 1967 | Installation began in December of a new anode casting furnace with a waste heat boiler and a new anode casting wheel. | |
| 1971 | ||
| 1984 | ||
| 1986 | The company sold the land to the United States Postal Service on September 1986. | |
| 1996 | The postal service sued the company because they did not sufficiently clean up the site and the court ordered Phelps Dodge Corporation to buy back the property. | |
| 2001 | All the buildings were torn down. |
“All Over the Borough.” Newtown Register Jul 18, 1901: 4.
“Attempt to Close Streets.” Newtown Register Sep 11, 1919: 5.
“A Big Newtown Industry” Long Island Weekly Star Jan 16, 1891: 4.
”Board Walk Assured for ‘Death Avenue’.” Newtown Register Mar 16, 1916: 4.
Cleland, Robert G. A History of Phelps Dodge, 1834-1950. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952.
“Improvements to Penny Bridge.” Long Island City Star Aug 26, 1880: 4.
Jones, Daniel B., and Robert F. Gould. “William Henry Nichols.” American Chemists and Chemical Engineers. Ed. Windham D. Miles. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 1976. 363-365.
“Large Business Transfer: ‘The Nichols Chemical Works Sold to the Trust’.” Newtown Register Mar 16, 1899: 5.
“Laurel Hill Chemical Works.” Long Island Weekly Star Jul 30, 1880: 4.
“Laurel Hill Chemical Works.” Long Island City Star Sep 30, 1881: 4.
“Laurel Hill Chemical Works’ New Chimney.” Newtown Register Mar 23, 1899: 5.
“Laurel Hill’s Tall Chimney.” Newtown Register Mar 14, 1901: 5.
Leahy, Jack. “Post Office Has Chosen New Address.” New York Daily News Sep 12, 1986: B7.
“Local Happenings.” Newtown Register May 1, 1890: 7.
“Local Happenings.” Newtown Register Mar 3, 1904: 5.
“Local Happenings.” Newtown Register Mar 10, 1904: 5.
Long Island City Star May 9, 1884: 4.
Long Island City Star Jul 3, 1884: 4.
“Newtown Creek.” QueensBorough Sep 1914: 36.
“Newtown News.” Long Island Weekly Star Aug 20, 1880: 3.
“Newtown Notes” Long Island Weekly Star Dec 11, 1891: 4.
Newtown Register Oct 3, 1912: 5.
Nichols, Charles Walter. Personal interview. Conducted by Gerhard Hershfeld. Available in the Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library Jun 10, 1940.
“Nichols Chemical Plant.” Newtown Register Apr 10, 1913: 4.
Phelps Dodge Corporation. Annual Reports. New York: Phelps Dodge, 1956, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972.
Phelps Dodge Corporation. Form 10-K Annual Report Filing. New York: Phelps Dodge, 1984.
“Phelps-Dodge Refining Plant One of Borough’s Basic Industries.” QueensBorough Jan 1940: 19.
“Portion of Nichol’s Chemical Works at Laurel Hill Destroyed.” Newtown Register Jan 22, 1903: 5.
Principe, Francis J. Testimony of Francis J. Principe to the Sub Committee on Finance and Hazardous Waste. City Council, New York. Mar 7, 1997.
“Queens Borough Industries and the War.” QueensBorough Apr 1919: 52.
Stout, David. “Company Is Told to Buy Back Polluted Tract.” New York Times Dec 27, 1996, late ed.: B3.
Train, Jr., Arthur. A Brief Account of the Early History of Nichols Copper Company from a Manuscript of Arthur Train, Jr.: Printed in Honor of Walter C. Bennett, President of Phelps Dodge Refining Corporation to mark the 55th Anniversary of his Employment with the Company. n.p.: n.p., 1953.
“Wrong Premises.” Newtown Register Jun 3, 1920: 3.
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Scope and Content Note
The Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records, (3 boxes, 20 flat file drawers, 18 reels of microfilm) document the manufacturing plant’s construction and maintenance of its plant facilities, production processes, land, and products in the form of clippings, correspondence, engineering and architectural drawings, and reports.
The largest of the series, Engineering and Architectural Drawings, (5 folders, 18 reels, 20 flat file drawers, 1893-1983), document the construction, renovations, and additions to all the grounds, buildings, machinery, and production processes of the plant. Their detail ranges from very general, i.e. the layout of buildings on the grounds, to very detailed, i.e. the bolts used in construction. The drawings have been microfilmed and are in numerical order which corresponds to chronological order. All the originals were discarded after they were microfilmed except for the ones from 1893 to 1919. Those were kept because of their age and their relatively stable condition. The remaining was not kept because their condition was beyond repair. The numerical sequence is not complete because some drawings were never used at the plant and were discarded or they were not located at the plant before it was destroyed. A Microsoft Access database was created listing all the drawings on microfilm and is available in the Archives at Queens Library. The original negatives film and one set of the positive film are at the New York State Library.
The Historical Material, (1 folder, 1930-1976) series contains articles, interviews of employees and relatives, and pamphlets regarding William Henry Nichols, the Nichols Copper Company, General Chemical Company, Phelps Dodge Corporation, and the Laurel Hill Plant.
The Works Manager Records, (4 folders, 1939-1980) series documents the products used and produced in the plant in three sub series, Analysis, (3 folders, 1939-1971), Smelter Room, Smelter Fumes Removal System Maintenance Instructions, (1 folder, 1960), and Specifications, Copper, Correspondence and Reports, (2 folders, 1942-1980). The Analysis Sub Series contains three sub sub series Nickel Sulphates, (1 folder, 1942-1965), Other Plant Copper and Nickel Sulphates, (1 folder, 1939-1976), and Slimes, (1 folder, 1939-1971), which contain reports analyzing these material. The Specifications, Copper, Correspondence and Reports sub series documents the quality of the copper being produced by the plant.
The Works Supervisor Records, (8 folders, 1939-1980) series documents the overall activities of the person in-charge of the plant’s operation in two sub series, Complaints, Copper and Nickel Sulphates, (3 folders, 1939-1980), and Correspondence, (5 folders, 1975-1980). The Complaints, Copper and Nickel sub series document in the form of correspondence and reports customers’ complaints regarding the quality of the copper and nickel produced in the plant. The Correspondence sub series contains correspondence to and from a variety of organizations including machine suppliers, city agencies and Phelps Dodge documenting the routine activities of a large manufacturing plant including its maintenance of buildings and grounds and the ordering of supplies.
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Arrangement
The five series are in alphabetical order. Each series may contain a number of sub series all of which are arranged in alphabetical order. However the contents of every folder are arranged in chronological order.
The records are divided into six series:
| Accounting Department | |
| Clippings File about Pollution | |
| Engineering and Architectural Drawings | |
| Historical Material | |
| Works Manager Records | |
| Works Supervisor Records |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Phelps Dodge Corporation Laurel Hill Plant Records, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.
Provenance
The records were donated to the library by the corporation.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and show their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
- Archives at Queens Library
- Queens Borough Public Library
- 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
- Jamaica, NY 11432
- Phone: (718) 990-0770.
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Access Points
Subject Names:
- Nichols, William Henry, 1852-1930
Subject Organizations:
- G.H. Nichols and Company (New York, N.Y.)
- General Chemical Company (New York, N.Y.)
- Laurel Hill Works (New York, N.Y.)
- Phelps Dodge Corporation
Subject Topics:
- Copper sulfate industry
- Metals
- Sulfuric acid industry
Subject Places:
- Maspeth (New York, N.Y.)
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Inventory
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
