Access
Publication and Use Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Historical or Biographical Note
Collection Scope and Content
Collection Arrangement
Related Materials
Title: Jack Ehrhorn collection of Stone Boat Yard naval architectural drawings
Date: 1898-1993
Date (bulk): 1912-1975
Identifier/Call Number: HDC1611 (SAFR 22826)
Creator/Collector:
Ehrhorn, Jack
Stone, Lester
Physical Description:
1069 items
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Jack Ehrhorn collection of Stone Boat Yard naval architectural drawings (SAFR 22826, HDC 1611) consists of 1069 naval
architectural plans, of which 176 are original drawings from the Stone Boat Yard or one of its predecessor businesses. This
collection also includes 30 document files of research and business records from Jack Ehrhorn, Stone Boat Yard, or one of
its predecessor businesses. This collection is open for use by appointment only; a small number of items are unavailable for
due to their very fragile condition.
Physical Location: San Franicsco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
Access
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted. Restrictions are noted at the file level. Items in fragile condition
are not available for use.
Publication and Use Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC1611 (SAFR 22826), Jack Ehrhorn collection of Stone Boat Yard naval architectural drawings, San Francisco Maritime
National Historical Park
Acquisition Information
SAFR-01896
SAFR-01896, Jack W. Ehrhorn Estate. Jack Ehrhorn, shipwright at the Stone Boat Yard for 40 some years, preserved records,
photographs, casting patterns and other memorabilia of the yard.
Historical or Biographical Note
Company History: Stone & Swann boatyard; Stone & Van Bergen boatyard; W.F. Stone & Son boatyard; and Stone Boat Yard. Between
1853 and 1970 three generations of the Stone family built more than 225 wooden boats on the shores of San Francisco Bay. After
1970, Stone Boat Yard continued to operate until 2004 under various proprietors. Beginning in about 1937 Jack Ehrhorn (1919-2005)
was a master shipwright; he became operations foreman at the W.F. Stone & Son boatyard where he developed a reputation as
one of the west coast's premier craftsmen and builders. Jack Ehrhorn preserved the W.F. Stone & Son records that form the
core of this collection.
William I. Stone emigrated from Dartmouth, England and established a boatyard in the Hunter's Point area of San Francisco
in 1853, where he specialized in building small commercial boats as well as racing and recreational yachts. He was in business
until 1892, and he died in 1914.
W.I. Stone's eldest son, William Frank Stone (1868-1923; known as Frank Stone) opened a boatbuilding yard on Beach Street
in Tiburon in 1893, in partnership with someone only identified as Swann. Between 1893 and 1898, the Stone & Swann boatyard
specialized in building yachts, smaller gas power launches, and row boats. Vessels built and repaired at this location are
represented in Series 1 of this collection.
In 1899 Frank Stone moved his operations to Harbor View, San Francisco, and opened a partnership with Edgar N. Van Bergen.
In 1911, Stone & Van Bergen was evicted from this location because the planning and construction of the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition.
Vessels built and repaired at this location are represented in Series 2 of this collection.
After being evicted from the Harbor View site in 1911, Frank Stone moved his operations to Oakland, at the foot of Diesel
Way and Kennedy Streets, adjacent to the Union Diesel Engine company. His son, Lester F. Stone (1892-1975) was formally brought
into the family business at this time, and the business name changed to W.F. Stone & Son. When Frank Stone died in 1923, Lester
Stone became the sole proprietor. After finishing his apprenticeship in the late 1930s, Jack Ehrhorn was hired by Lester Stone
to work in the Oakland yard as the lofts-man, master shipwright, and crew foreman. Following the entry of the United States
into World War II and the subsequent expansion of Union Diesel, W.F. Stone & Son was evicted from the Oakland yard and moved
across the estuary to Alameda. Vessels built and repaired at the Oakland yard are represented in Series 3 of this collection.
From its new location on Blanding Avenue in Alameda, W.F. Stone & Son boatyard built mine sweepers, sub chasers and fire tugs
for the U.S. Navy during the War. From 1946 until Lester Stone's retirement in 1970, Jack Ehrhorn and Lester Stone worked
collaboratively to design and build the expertly crafted recreational and racing yachts for which the yard was renowned. By
the late 1960s, however, the custom yacht building business was fading. Lester Stone retired in 1970 at the age of 78; he
passed away in 1975. Vessels built and repaired at this location under the W.F. Stone & Sone business name are represented
in Series 4 of this collection
After Lester Stone's death in 1975 the yard was sold at least two times, but continued doing business as Stone Boat Yard,
thereby retaining the historical name and connotations. When the business declared bankruptcy in 1986 it was purchased by
Bill and Grace Bodle, who refurbished the machinery and rehired some former employees, including Jack Ehrhorn. Stone Boat
Yard closed in 2004. Jack Ehrhorn passed away in 2005. This period is represented in Series 5 of this collection.
Chronology
1853-1893 |
W.I. Stone, San Francisco (Hunter's Point) |
1893-1899 |
Stone & Swann, Tiburon |
1899-1911 |
Stone & Van Bergen, San Francisco (Harbor View) |
1911-1941 |
W.F. Stone & Son, Oakland |
1941-1975 |
W.F. Stone & Son, Alameda |
1975-2004 |
Stone Boat Yard, Alameda |
Sources:
Robinson, Judith. 'Transcript of an oral history interview with Jack Ehrhorn.' 2005 June 2. San Francisco Maritime National
Historical Park
O'Grady, Roberta Stone. 'Wooden shipbuilding in San Francisco Bay: one family's story. A Memorial of the Stone family' Presentation
at the Contra Costa Hiking Club annual meeting, 2010 March 21. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Brooks, Douglas. 'The Stone Boatyard: Three Generations of quality,' Wooden Boat # 109 (November / December 1992). pp 60-68
Saint Francisco Yacht Club. History at http://www.stfyc.com
Stone Boat Yard Catalogue of Boats. Stone Boatyard Pamphlet File. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Crocker-Langley San Francisco City Directories (years 1908, 1910, 1911)
Heig, James (ed.) Pictoral History of Tiburon (San Francisco: 1984)
Collection Scope and Content
The Jack Ehrhorn collection of Stone Boat Yard naval architectural drawings (SAFR 22826, HDC 1611) consists of 1069 naval
architectural plans, of which 176 are original drawings from the Stone Boat Yard or one of its predecessor businesses. This
collection also includes 30 document files of research and business records from Jack Ehrhorn, Stone Boat Yard, or one of
its predecessor businesses. This collection is open for use by appointment only; a small number of items are unavailable for
due to their very fragile condition.
Collection Arrangement
The collection was donated in no discernable order, and many sheets have no positive identification of vessel name. Vessels
were deductively identified by the processing archvist using extant notes on the plans, including dates, vessel type and size
notes, contract and client information, etc. All original drawings were presumed to be original to one of the various Stone
boat yards.
Most of the sheets in the collection have small stickers or pieces of white tape affixed to the center bottom edge, with applied
alpha-numeric notations. In some cases these numbers were assigned in batches or runs, and these batch numbers help identify
vessels and jobs. These notations are referred to as 'applied numbers' and as 'item numbers' throughout the prepared finding
aid.
The Processing Archivist imposed an intellectual arrangement on this collection, and physically reorganized the collection
to meet the physical preservation and storage requirements of the plans in the collection.
The collection is arranged into eight (8) series. The first five (5) series include dated plans of vessels, including original
drawings, that were either built or repaired by one of the various Stone family boatyards. These first five series are arranged
by businees name, location and date. Series six (6) includes undated original drawings which cannot be identified by vessel
or date; because these are original ink on linen or pencil on paper drawings, they are assumed to have been created by one
of the various Stone boatyards. Series seven (7) includes blueprints, diazotypes and other duplicates of naval architectural
drawings or vessels that were neither built nor repaired at any of the Stone Boat Yards. Series 8 includes business and research
files.
Series 1: Stone & Swann (Tiburon, 1893-1899). Series 2: Stone & Van Bergen (San Francisco, 1900-1911). Series 3: W.F. Stone
& Son (Oakland, 1912-1941); sub-series 3.1: Built vessels; sub-series 3.2: Repair work and other jobs. Series 4: W.F. Stone
& Son (Alameda, 1941-1975). Series 5: Stone Boat Yard (Alameda, 1976-2004). Series 6: Undated original drawings; sub-series
6.1: Named vessels; sub-series 6.2: Unnamed or unidentfied vessels. Series 7: Plans originating from other architects and
yards; sub-series 7.1: Other naval architects; sub-series 7.2: Unidentified sources and vessels. Series 8: Business and Research
Files.
Storage Note: Plans are stored with 'like' items are far as material, and by size. Folders 1-11 are small map folders holding
plans up to 18x28 inches. Folders 12-47 are map folders holding plans up to 35 x 46 inches. Rolls hold plans which exceed
46 inches in either dimension. Oversize box 1 contains all items that are very fragile and not available for use. Series 8
is housed in a single 8 inch wide document box. Folder 'T4' is a large map folder holding estray drawings which need rehousing
with like material.
Related Materials
Several related collections sharing the same provenance are held by San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. These
include the following plans and photograph collections.
SAFR 17124 (HDC 277) Stone Boatyard records, 1913-1982. 74.5 LF. Includes business records and naval architectural drawings.
SAFR 21341 (HDS 1288) Stone Boat Yard records and Marine Architectural Drawings. 207 items.
SAFR 15003 (HDC 1109) Buccaneer (bilt 1931; yacht) census and registration. 5 items.
SAFR 8120 (P77-022) Stone Boat Yard photograph collections. 140 items.
SAFR 10116 (P92-042) Bill Bodle Stone Boat Yard photographs. 28 copy negatives.
SAFR 10120 (P92-051) Jack Ehrhorn photographs. 17 copy negatives. Copies of originals from Stone Boat Yard and predecessor
businesses.
SAFR 17239 (P86-049) Ehrhorn photo collection. 2 items.
SAFR 19781 (P01-023) Lester Stone photographs. 213 copy negatives.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Boatbuilding
Yacht building
Small craft--United States--History--20th century--archives
Shipyards--California--History
Stone, Lester F.
Stone & Swann
Stone & Van Bergen
W.F. Stone & Son (Oakland)
W.F. Stone & Son (Alameda)
Stone Boat Yard
Naval architecture drawings
Naval architecture
Boatbuilding