Summary of
“Chapters in the evolution of an
American
metropolis”
By Samuel H. Popper
Slides prepared by Patrick Adams
Newark emerges as a
manufacturing center
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By 1860, Newark ranked as one of
the important industrial centers in
the United States. It had all the
desirable features of a
manufacturing city. Its tax rate
was moderate, transportation
facilities were good, freight rates
were low, and it had a reservoir of
a permanent and skilled working
force.
Newark was home to many skilled
laborers, especially during the
1840s and 1850s when many
skilled Germans emigrated from
Germany.
Leather Goods
Clothing, Hats, Trunks, Carriages,
Jewelry
Beer and Iron Products
Santa Anna, the Mexican General,
had his personal carriage made in
Newark
Newark supports the South?
• Early in Newark’s history, the South was
the principle market for Newark’s
manufactured leather and clothing goods.
• However, this made it vulnerable during
the Panic of 1837, because its market was
so heavily dependent on domestic markets
• During the Civil War, Newark opposed the
use of Union force
The Civil War
• The Civil War was a turning point in Newark’s history. Although,
Newark opposed the War at first, the war brought Newark’s
economy to full capacity and attracted even more industries to the
city.
• When the Civil War ended, Newark began selling its manufactured
goods (now mostly consumer) to the West and internationally.
Causing Newark to explode!!
Newark exploded from1870-1910
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Localization economies happen when many companies in the same industry situate
near each other.
When many companies from different industries situate near each other, its called
Urbanization economies.
The presence of firms in one industry attracts firms in other industries
For example, during this period manufacturing industries gave rise to financial and
mercantile industries such as Prudential which opened its doors in 1873.
Population and all Occupations in
Newark
Population
350000
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
Percentage
Increase By
Decade
All
occupations
1870
1890
1910
Percentage
Change
Smelting and Refining
• Newark provided a
cheap site for
smelting and refining
• Newark was close to
New York City
• The Morris Canal
connected Newark
with coal fields in
Pennsylvania. A
cheap fuel source for
the furnaces
Inventions and Industry Galore
Seth Boyden Terrace
housing projects named
after the inventor Seth
Boyden.
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In 1826, Seth Boyden perfected a process for making malleable iron, thereby laIn 1826, Seth
Boyden perfected a process for making malleable iron, thereby laing the foundations for the
foundry and machine shop industry of Newark
Thomas Peddie perfected the technique for electric nickel plating and established works for the
building of dynamos
John Wesley Hyatt in 1870 perfected a precess for the making of celluloid
Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, perfected the process for making motion picture film which improved
further on the celluloid
Electricity gave a boost to the manufacturing of electrical equipment in Newark
The growth of bread, tobacco, and the building industry was related to the population growth of
Newark at the time
Germans, Beer, and Newark
• Larger beer brewing in Newark
was almost exclusively a
German enterprise
• Of the city’s 278 brewers and
malsters in 1870, 237 were of
German birth.
• Brewery sites were cheap, and
skilled German labor was
abundant.
• Newark was also close to a lot
of farms providing the
necessary malt for brewing
• Growing cities of the East such
as Buffalo provided large
markets for Newark’s beer.
Jewelry making
• Newark was well known for making jewelry
and thus attracted skilled jewelers from
Europe
• Newark jewelry industry benefitted from
nearby smelting and refineries
Newark Recycling
• Newark’s leather industry was unmatched in the 19th and early 20th
centuries!
• Trimmings from hides in the raw state were sold to Newark glue
factories
• Shoe manufacturers bought trimmings and roundings for in sole
stocks
• Chemical factories used the hide shavings for their chemical works
• Production costs were greatly reduced by profits derived from the
sale of waste materials
• Leather was able to adapt to many purposes
• The market for enameled leather made in Newark was expanded by
1910 for use in upholstering furniture, as lining for new motor
vehicles, and in the making of fancy goods.
Factors in Newark’s explosion
• Newark had widespread markets for its
manufactured good
• New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the West
for raw materials
• High and low skilled labor supplies
• Good transportation thanks to the Morris
Canal
• Agglomeration Economies!!!