16’ Old Town(?) serial # 10054

[Jordan Walker]

Hello,
I have what I believe to be a 16’ 5” Old Town serial #10054 that I salvaged from under a cabin in the Adirondacks. It’s been a multi-year process from discovering it and finally getting it home with me so I can begin the restoration. My goal is to restore it to as close as possible as to how it left the Old Town factory somewhere around 1915 if my research is correct. I was hoping I might be able to attain the original documents from the WCHA archive if possible to help aid in this project. Thank you.

-Jordan

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 10054 is a 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, Charles River model with red Western cedar planking, closed spruce gunwales, spruce decks, spruce thwarts, spruce seats, and a keel. It was built between December, 1908 and July, 1909. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on July 21st, 1909 to Boston, Massachusetts. A scan of this build record can be found below.

This scan was created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. Additional information about the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or renew.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. There should be a "16" on the inside stems just before or after the serial numbers. If you find a "17" there then you may have a Carleton canoe from 1914 or a Kennebec canoe from 1915. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,

Benson

 

[Todd F]

Jordan, were you able to confirm the 16 / 17 stamp? Looks like we are in the same neck of the woods.