G. Krug and Son Business Records, 1841-1963, MS 1756

An Inventory of Its Papers in the Maryland Historical Society.

Manuscripts Division

Maryland Historical Society

Baltimore, Maryland

1969

Gustav A. Krug, German immigrant, 1830-1908; began business with Andrew Merker (fl. 1840's) in 1848; retired in 1898.

Theodore F. Krug, 1853-1938; began with firm in 1868, retired in 1923.

Gustav F. Krug, 1874-1940; began with firm in 1891, retired in 1938.

Theodore A. Krug, 1887-; began with firm in 1907, retired in 1962.

Theodore F. Krug, 1926-; began with firm in 1948.

ANDREW MERKER was born Feb. 10, 1804 in Alsace and died May 25, 1876 in Baltimore. He is listed in the records of the Old Otterbein Church [Maryland Historical Society MS. 1771] c. 1840. In 1841 he was licensed to preach by the [UNK] Conference of the United Brethren Church, but he was not ordained until 1848. In 1846 he and Rev. Peter Bitzel served a mission appointment in Baltimore; it seems they did not succeed. Though ordained, he did not become a full-time pastor but remained somewhat of a local preacher. He may, however, have had ideas of full-time pastoral work since he hired Gustav Krug in 1848. At any rate, it would appear that Merker abandoned his iron trade in favor of the ministry.

Merker is also found as Marker and Macher.

NOTE: This research was done by a Krug or one of the company's employees. All information is said to have come from the Enoch Pratt Library.

G.KRUG RSandN

[UNK]: Miss Barker

Processed by: Ellen Lee Barker

Date: July, 1969

INTRODUCTION

The records of G. Krug and Son were donated to the Maryland Historical Society by Theodore F. Krug of Baltimore, Maryland in July 1969.

All property rights belong to the Maryland Historical Society.

Accession number: 8 boxes, 80 shelved volumes

MS number: 1756

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chronology for Krug was supplied by Theodore F. Krug.

Biographical information for Merker was supplied by Pastor Paul E. Holdcraft, Pastor-Emeritus, Old Otterbein Church in a letter dated Dec. 16, 1969.

1810

Schwatke, Augustus

[UNK]

corner Saratoga St. and Short Alley

1814-1815

Schwatke, Augustus

blacksmith

103 Saratoga St.

1816

Schwatke, Augustus

blacksmith

103 Saratoga St.

1817-1818

Schwatka and [UNK]

blacksmith

103 Saratoga St.

1819

Schwatka, Augustus

blacksmith

corner of Saratoga St. and Short Alley

1822-1823

Schwatka, A.

blacksmith

Southwest corner of Saratoga St. and Long Alley.

dwelling Short Alley on West side of Saratoga St.

1827

Schwatka, Augustus

blacksmith

Long Alley near Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, William

blacksmith

Saratoga St. side East of Paca

1829

Schwatka, Frederick W.

blacksmith

Eutaw St. near Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, A. (presumably for Augustus)

blacksmith

Long Alley near Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, Chas.

blacksmith

Wagon Alley East of Eutaw St.

(The problem is to discover which of the alleys presently adjacent to G. Krug and Sons was named Short and Long Alleys. One map dated I think about 1910 [UNK] showed what is now Jasper St. to be Short Alley. It would seem that the other one (the parking lot) would be the shorter one as it was shown in all available maps to be a dead end alley proceeding to [UNK] the back of the present day shop.)

(Incidently, as far back as 1880 there was a comfort station on the Southeast corner of the block on which G. Krug and Sons is now the Northeast corner. That would have been located about where Clarence Reip has his stand today. The entire SW corner and an area about as big as the present day shop was consumed by a seed and garden implement shop. I forget the name of it.)

1831

Schwatka, Augustus

blacksmith

Long Alley between Lexington St. and Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, Chas.

blacksmith

Saratoga St. East of Paca St.

also

Schwatka, William

blacksmith

Saratoga St. East of Paca St.

1833

Schwatka, Chas. A. jr.

blacksmith

corner Long Alley and Saratoga St.

1835

Schwatka, Chas. A.

blacksmith

southwest corner Saratoga St.

dwelling at Long Alley south of Saratoga St.

1837

Schwatka, Frederick W.

blacksmith

Montgomery St. east of Charles St.

also

Schwatka, August (us)

blacksmith

28 Long Alley

also

Schwatka, Chas.

blacksmith

Saratoga St. west of Eutaw St.

1840

Schwatka, August

blacksmith

Long Alley south of Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, Chas.

constable*

Long Alley south of Saratoga St.

1831

Merker, A.

[UNK] and bell hanger

Eutaw St. north of Saratoga St.

1833

Merker, A.

smith in general

South Howard St. near Pratt St.

1835

Merker, A.

locksmith and smith in general

Eutaw St. north of Saratoga St.

1837

Merker, A.

smith in general

Eutaw St. north of Saratog a St.

1840

Merker, A.

smith in general

Eutaw St. north of Saratoga St.

1842

Schwatka, Augustus

blacksmith

Jasper St. south of Saratoga St.

also

Schwatka, Chas. A.

constable

Jasper St. rear of Lexington St.

1845

Schwatka, August (us)

blacksmith

30 Jasper St.

also

Schwatka, Chas. A.

city bailiff*

17 Jasper St.

1847

Schwatka, Chas.

bailiff

30 Jasper St.

1851

Schwatka, Chas. A.

baliff

60 Pearl St.

the years 1853 through 1856 are the same as above for Charles A. Schwatka.

a check on Charles A. Schwatka about ten years late finds his address the same but his occupation now as collector, presumably tax collector. No immediate descentdants apparent. Irrelevant but interesting.

1842

Merker, A. and Fenne

smiths in general

corner Saratoga St. and Jasper St.

dwelling on Pearl St. between Fayaette St. and Batimore St.

1845

Merker, A.

blacksmith

182 Saratoga St.

home at 209 Mulberry St.

also

blacksmith

284 Saratoga St., southwest corner Jasper St. and [UNK] St.

1847

Merker, A. and Fenny

blacksmiths

182 Saratoga St

home at 209 Mulberry st.

1855

Merker, William

smith

133 north Paca St.

1856

Merker, Andrew

smith

178 Saratoga St.

1858

Merker, A.

whiteamith

home at 190 Saratoga St

dwelling at 188 Saratoga St.

The records trace the business from 1841 to 1963, from the time it was known as a shop belonging to Andrew Merker, blacksmith, to the present ownership of Theodore F. Krug. The firm is currently in business, operating in the same building on Saratoga Street as Merker did.

The earliest records are in German, becoming a mixture of German and English, becoming completely English by the 1850's. Records-keeping, as business increases, becomes more sophisticated and complete. All phases of incoming and outgoing materials and products are noted in quantities, sizes, prices, and uses. Accounts are listed for business and private individuals, mostly in Baltimore city, but can also be found for other states.

Drawings of work tonbe done and/or done accompany the ledgers, day-books, and journals of the period 1885-1927; these drawings, usually with accompanying measurements, are in ink and on tissue. Other record books contain rough drawings, usually in pencil.

[Also see attached page]

Maryland [UNK] [UNK] 64 (1767):420-421

NOTES ON THE MARYLAND

HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS

BY ELLEN LEE BARKER, Curator of Manuscripts

G. KRUG and SON, MAKERS OF ARTISTIC

WROUGHT IRON WORK

The tons of raw iron which passed through the Northampton, Curtis Creek, and other Maryland furnances and forges were the materiel of the ironworker, who, whether shoeing a horse, casting a pot, or creating a hotel façade, was a needed and respected craftsman for generations of Marylanders. While many artifacts of that trade are still in existence and use today, historians have lamented that recorded history of the craft is all but gone. Therefore, when the firm of G. Krug and Son donated its business records to the Society, the contribution to learning was indeed valuable. Over one hundred volumes consisting of letter books as well as account and order books (interspersed with exquisite drawings of finished work) were given by Mr. Theodore F. Krug, the third generation of his family to carry on the craft of ironworking in the center of Baltimore City.

Though the work day is now quite a bit shorter and the production rate a good deal higher, the company retains the atmosphere-as well as the Saratoga Street address-of the blacksmith, Andrew Merker, who hired a German immigrant, Gustav A. Krug, in 1848. The deal must have been a good one, for, one year later, the shop became A. Merker and Krug. By the time two more Krugs (Theodore F. and his uncle Gustav F.) had joined the firm, the name had graduated to G. Krug and Son, and the company was a thriving business by the time Theodore A. and the present Mr. Krug took command.

The collection of records [MS. 1756] presents a clear picture of Mr. Merker's later work as well as all work done by G. Krug and Son. The earliest volumes, 1841-49, most of which are scrawled in terse German, are the last records of Andrew Merker. As his proficiency in English increased, the records became a mixture of German and phonetically-spelled English. However, by the 1850's, when Gustav Krug was a full partner, all records are in

fairly clear English, and it is in this period that the company began its expansion and ascent, becoming, at the turn of the century, a major ornamental and architectural ironworks.

Shipping its work to many eastern and southern states, A. Merker and Krug (later G. Krug and Son) competed successfully with many other ironworks in both quantity and quality. Work was done on Baltimore's banks such as the Mercantile Trust, hospitals such as Johns Hopkins, hotels such as the Rennert, and clubs such as The University Club. G. Krug and Son provided a fence for the Baltimore Zoo and has done work twice for the Maryland Historical Society, once in the 1930's and again in 1968.

The most decorative work appears to be concentrated in the last decade of the 1800's and the first decade of the 1900's, when highly ornate architectural iron was most popular. There are thirteen letter books and ten large journals covering this twenty-year period of work; these journals contain the majority of drawings, which are done on tissue in sizes of one square inch to a square foot or more. These precise pen and ink drawings would be one of the more interesting aspects of the records for the layman, but for the professional they are only an accompaniment for detailed measurements, instructions, and prices.

The appeal of this collection is two-fold: it is a treasure of information for the craft or art historian, and it is an excellent study for the business historian because its records are consistent and have no appreciable gaps in a span of 122 years. It gives an architectural picture of a Baltimore that has almost vanished, and it shows a design that carried over into the way people lived. It also shows prospering businesses and industries stretching moneyed sinews throughout the city. It shows a rising population and a shrinking world.

In 1860, Gustav A. Krug arrived at work, as did many of his colleagues, wearing a top that and riding in a carriage. He kept careful records and wondered how the impending war would affect his business. Today, those records are fortunately available to become history through the foresight of Theodore F. Krug, who arrives at work bare-headed and riding in an automobile. He wonders how interplanetary travel will affect his business!

30 shop drawings

2 photographs of the shop and employees

100 photographs of finished work

The Library holds the following:

Newspaper file: clippings re founding and operation of firm

Maryland Historical Magazine, Winter, 1969 Notes on Manuscripts Collections

The Museum has accessioned numerous artifacts: tools, wood patterns, finished work.

particular items of extraordinary interest.

BOX 1

Account/order books

1841-1842

1846-1847

(2 vols)

BOX 2

1848-1849

1849-1850

(3 vols)

1850-1851

BOX 3

1851

1851-1852

BOX 4

1857-1867

1861-1871

Account book

1871-1909

Expense book

1867-1870

BOX 5

Order book

1871-1878

Expense book

1870

General outlay book

1871-1877

Index

1871

BOX 6

Ledger

1872-1882

Order book

1905-1908

BOX 7

Semi-annual reports

1885-1888, 1891-1923

Semi-annual cash statements

1885-1922

Miscellaneous accounts, orders, drawings

1884-1896

Lesson book compiled by William Merker

Personal letters, sketches, etc. (very [UNK])

BOX 8

Expense books

1905-1910

1911-1917

Order book

1929-1932

VOLUMES: 1.

Daybook 1884-1931 (with alphabet)

2.

Ledger 1882-1892 (with alphabet)

3.

Daybook 1885-1888

4.

Daybook 1888-1891

5.

Daybook 1891-1896

6.

Ledger 1896-1904 (with alphabet)

7.

Daybook 1897-1903

8.

Daybook 1903-1906

9.

Ledger 1905-1920

10.

Ledger 1906-1923

11.

Daybook 1906-1911

12.

Daybook 1911-1918

13.

Daybook 1918-1923

14.

Ledger 1924-1928 (with alphabet)

15.

Journal 1923-1927

16.

Journal 1931-1939

17.

Journal 1939-1943

18.

Ledger 1928-1940

19.

Cash outlay 1951-1961

20.

Sales book 1936-1942

21.

Sales book 1950-1951

22.

Sales book 1951

23.

Sales book 1951-1956

24.

Sales book 1956-1960

25.

Sales book 1960-1953

26.

Orders 1938-1939

27.

Orders 1940-1941

28.

Orders 1941-1942

29.

Orders 1942-1943

30.

Orders 1943-1944

31.

Letterbook 1878-1883

32.

Letterbook 1883-1885

33.

Letterbook 1885-1887

34.

Letterbook 1887-1889

35.

Letterbook 1889-1890

36.

Letterbook 1890-1891

37.

Letterbook 1891-1892

38.

Letterbook 1892-1893

39.

Letterbook 1893-1894

40.

Letterbook 1894

41.

Letterbook 1894-1895

42.

Letterbook 1895-1896

43.

Letterbook 1896-1897

44.

Letterbook 1897-1898

45.

Letterbook 1898-1899

46.

Letterbook 1899-1900

47.

Letterbook 1900-1901

48.

Blotter 1914-1915

49.

Blotter 1915-1916

50.

Blotter 1916-1917

51.

Blotter 1917-1918

52.

Blotter 1918-1919

53.

Blotter 1919

54.

Blotter 1919-1920

55.

Blotter 1920-1921

56.

Blotter 1921-1922

57.

Blotter 1922-1923

58.

Blotter 1923-1924

59.

Blotter 1924

60.

Blotter 1924-1925

61.

Blotter 1925-1926

62.

Blotter 1926

63.

Blotter 1926-1927

64.

Blotter 1927-1928

65.

Blotter 1928-1929

66.

Blotter 1929-1930

67.

Blotter 1930

68.

Blotter 1930-1932

69.

Blotter 1932-1933

70.

Blotter 1933-1935

71.

Blotter 1935-1937

72.

Blotter 1937-1938

73.

Blotter 1938-1939

74.

Blotter 1940-1941

75.

Blotter 1941-1942

76.

Blotter 1942-1944

77.

Blotter 1944-1946

78.

Checkbook 1918-1921

79.

Checkbook 1922-1925

80.

Checkbook 1925-1927