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A guide to the Hicks family and Hicks Engine Works photograph albums, 1895-1925
P16-013 (SAFR 24849)
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Title: Hicks family and Hicks Engine Works photograph albums
Date: 1895-1925
Identifier/Call Number: P16-013 (SAFR 24849)
Creator:
Hicks family
Physical Description:
3 items.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Hicks engines and family photograph albums, circa 1895-1925, (SAFR 24849, P16-013) are comprised of albums containing
photographs related to the production and use of Hicks engines. The collection has been processed to the File Unit level and
is open for use.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include
the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter
experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide
please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.
Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], P16-013 (SAFR 24849), Hicks family and Hicks Engine Works photograph albums, San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park
SAFR-02523
Frank A. Hicks (1880-1927) gave the collection to his son, James William Hicks (1903-1983). James passed the collection on
to his own son, Robert Hicks, who donated it to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in December 2016. Robert's
son, Greg Hicks, was also involved in the donation process.
Historical or Biographical Note
James L. Hicks, an Irish immigrant, was a machinist in San Francisco, California. His business focused on sewing machines
early in his career, and later he shifted to gas engines and machine tools.
Hicks' refinements to the single cylinder four-stroke engine led to it becoming the engine of choice with San Francisco Bay
Area fisherman due to its reliability and durability at a fair price. The company was sold circa 1918 and renamed the Hicks
Iron Works, later Hicks Engine Works. In 1927, the Yuba Manufacturing Company took over the production of Hicks engines until
the 1940s. Frank A. Hicks, James L. Hicks' son, was also a machinist. He operated a shop in Los Angeles, California.
Sources:
Grayson, Stan. Engines Afloat. Marblehead, MA: Devereux Books, 1999.
"Hicks Reorganization." Pacific Marine Review vol. XXIV, no. 2 (February 1927): 83-84.
The Hicks engines and family photograph albums, circa 1895-1925, (SAFR 24849, P16-013) are comprised of albums containing
photographs related to the production and use of Hicks engines. The collection has been processed to the File Unit level and
is open for use.
Contains albums with photographs of Hicks engines and the San Francisco, California, shops where they were manufactured as
well as photographs of fishing boats and Hicks family members, circa 1895-1925. There are 2 photograph albums containing a
total of 218 items (primarily black-and-white photographic prints) and 1 mounted photographic print. Some of the same images
appear in both albums.
The albums include photographs of various Hicks engine models. There are views of Hicks' shops located at 108 Main Street
and 967-969 Howard Street in San Francisco, California, some of which show staff at work. There are also photographs of the
Frank A. Hicks Machinery shop at 242-244 Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California.
The albums also include photographs of power yachts and fishing boats, from feluccas to the gas-engine powered boats that
replaced them. This shows the progression in West Coast maritime technology as fisherman came to rely less on sails and more
on marine engines which led to the development of Monterey clippers. There are photographs of fishing boats at San Francisco's
Fisherman's Wharf, and other fishing fleets and fish processing activities in unidentified locations.
The collection also includes photographs of company founder James L. Hicks, his sons Robert and Frank A., and Frank's children
James W., Mary, and Edward. Some of the photographs show Hicks family members vacationing in Lake County, California.
The collections is arranged into 1 series with 3 file units by album and physical form.
Harcourt Hervey III - Photographs, circa 1917. SFMNHP, (SAFR 9938, P92-019). Consists of 2 modern photographic copy prints
of the exterior and interior of the J. L. Hicks engine shop in San Francisco, California.
- This material is located at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Hicks Engine plans and marketing materials, 1918-1950. SFMNHP, (SAFR 17336, HDC1092). Contains primarily fabrication drawings
for Hicks engines and parts as well as assembly lists for Hicks engines produced between 1918 to 1950.
- This material is located at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Marine engines
Marine machinery
Fishing boats
Hicks Iron Works
San Francisco (Calif.)
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Photograph albums
Black-and-white prints (photographs)