Office of Old King Coal
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TUnr of the Century coal company office in New England / Strawbery Banke ArchiveStrawbery Banke Presents
HISTORIC PORTSMOUTH #88

With energy costs rising coal is making a comeback, In Portsmouth in 1900 it was the fuel of choice. This rare photo offers a murky look inside the office of Gray & Prime. The half-hull ship models on the wall show the firm’s connection to the sea. Originally EF Sise & Co, importers of crockery and glass, the company began importing "sea coal" in 1831. The picture also shows a letterpress, two gas-lit rolltop desks and coal samples.

 

 

HISTORIC PHOTOS of the Greater Portsmouth Area appear here weekly

Gray & Prime coal dealers in Portsmouth, NH in 1900 (c) Strawbery Banke Museum Archive

From HISTORIC PORTSMOUTH
Early Photographs from the Collections of Strawbery Banke
by James L. Garvin & Susan Grigg, Peter Randall Publisher
(c) Strawbery Banke Museum . All rights reserved

SEE ALSO:  Coal Pocket Workers