The George Lawley & Son shipyard was a major builder of yachts, military and working vessels in the Boston area. Founded in Scituate, Massachusetts in 1866, the yard moved to South Boston in 1874 and again to Neponset in 1909. The company was prolific, building vessels of wood, steel, and high-end metal alloys to designs from independent naval architects or by the firm itself. Thanks in part to its size and diversity of production, the firm maintained a close relationship with MIT’s Department of Naval Architecture.

George Lawley & Son was founded by George Lawley, Sr., an English immigrant who had previously worked for Donald McKay. Lawley’s son, George F., took over management in 1891, and his grandson, MIT graduate Frederick D. Lawley, joined the firm in 1901. In 1926, the Lawley family ceded ownership of the shipyard to a syndicate that later included naval architects Frank Paine and Gordon Munro. (The Lawley family continued business in Quincy as F.D. Lawley, Inc.). George Lawley & Son Corp. shut down in 1946, after producing hundreds of ships for the World War II effort.

The bulk of the McInnis-Lawley collection consists of plans and models collected by Walter J. McInnis after the shipyard closed. The plans collection consists of about 1,700 sheets representing approximately 150 designs, organized by design number. More recently, the Lawley family donated small collection of photographs and archival materials. Business material includes customer account books from 1921 to 1923 and from 1929 to 1940, along with a 1929 specifications booklet for a three-masted schooner and photographs of the yard. Family material includes many studio portraits and a 1910 will for George F. Lawley. The model collection includes half models and a few items demonstrating construction techniques.

Title: George Lawley & Son Collection

Creator(s): George Lawley & Son; Lawley family

Dates: (approximate) Primarily 1890s to 1920s, with some material as recent as 1980s

Extent: Two small boxes

Language: English

Repository: MIT Museum

Access: Open for research by appointment.

Copyright: No known restrictions apply

Credit: Hart Nautical Collection, MIT Museum