New York City was a center of chemicals production and petroleum refining in the second half of the 19th century. This presentation follows the development of these two industries at Newtown Creek, a narrow waterway located very near the center of modern New York City, during the decades that followed the Civil War. Particular attention is paid to the founding and growth of the Charles Pratt Oil Works and the Nichols Chemical Company, on adjoining properties along the Creek. Beginning in about 1868 the companies grew in technical sophistication, profitability, and interdependence. We use period insurance maps and modern GIS methods to examine Newtown Creek's economic geography and to understand the significance of place in enabling the growth of the area's materials-based economy and of New York City itself. Insurance maps indicate locations and facilities of the then-new companies. We consider the relationships among three chemistry-intensive industries at Newtown Creek: sulfuric acid production, the electrolytic production of high purity copper metal, and the refining of petroleum.

Near neighbors: Sulfuric acid producers and petroleum refineries in 19<sup>th</sup> century New York City

248th National Meeting (2014)

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Near neighbors: Sulfuric acid producers and petroleum refineries in 19th century New York City

Near neighbors: Sulfuric acid producers and petroleum refineries in 19^th century New York City