In the appendix to his 2003 Guide to Civil War Philadelphia, Richard A. Sauers provides very useful and interesting lists of Philadelphia companies that received government contracts during the war, and tells what they produced for the war effort. Here are advertisements for some of these companies, coming as close to the war years as possible. In most cases the advertisements show what the companies produced for civilian work; the military products are taken from the lists of Dr. Sauers. Though I have no advertisement for Hadden, Carll & Porter of 130 North Second, which produced tin cans in 1857 (Freedley, Philadelphia and Its Manufactures, 1857), I like to note that as Hadden, Booth & Porter it made a small jump into manufacturing canteens. And George W. Simpson of 610 Sansom made the mightier jump from thimbles and pen and pencil cases in 1857 (ibid.) to swords.

Because we are dealing with a span of a few years, it seems best not to follow the usual chronological arrangement. Instead, the advertisements are arranged alphabetically by company name.

 

Palmer’s Patent Limbs

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