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Contributed by Leonard L. Brooks 2007-02-07

Addison, ME — Leander A. Knowles (1813-1888) was a master shipbuilder who was born,brought up and lived his life in Addison, ME. His branch of the family came to what was then Pleasant River Plantation sometime around the time of the American Revolution. Little is known of where he acquired his shipbuilding skills but he began to be listed as "master carpenter" in the 1830s. From the 1830s until his retirement in 1883 he had his hand in some aspect of shipbuilding including building ships in his prime at the rate of one every other year. Typically, he built brigs and schooners. His shipyard was located at Addison Point which is now the village of Addison-the yard was on the level area just beyond the center of town-there were several structures in the complex perhaps including his own home. Leander's shipyard was at the foot of The Ridge where his family had lived almost since their arrival in that part of Maine. Family legend has it that part of the ships' construction was done up the Pleasant River (hulling? planking?)and the ship was then dragged down the river to the shipyard itself for the balance of the extensive work to be completed. In addition to his skills as a master carpenter, Leander was also a ship's captain and arranged financing for his own ships and others as well. It was not unusual for a ship to be financed by selling shares-one of his ships had over 200 shares sold. The Machias Custom House Records are full of information about Leander's skills in all aspects of shipbuilding. He must have had extensive land holdings to provide timber for his ships. Sometime in the early 1880s he and his son-in-law, Joseph A. Coffin, originally of Harrington, bought a lumber business and its saw mill situated in the middle of Columbia Falls. Joseph A. Coffin had married Leander's daughter, Josephine Bonaparte Knowles. Leander built a schooner in 1865 and named her the "Josephine B. Knowles." (He built a namesake schooner in 1873). Joseph and Josephine had three children-one of their daughters, Eva, could recall voyages from the Machias wharves to Boston on a lumber laden ship built by her grandfather.