In his day he was hailed as a master of his trade, designing and building some of the finest ships ever to slide down the ways at Kingsport – and in Canada as a matter of fact.

This was Ebenezer Cox (1828-1916) who in 1864 began shipbuilding with his brother, William. The Cox shipyard in Kingsport turned out some of the largest sailing vessels in Canada; one of these vessels, built in 1891 was the 2,137-ton Canada. The Kings County, hailed as one of only two four-masted vessels built in Canada, was launched in 1890.

The shipbuilding career of Ebenezer Cox has never been fully told. However, an attempt was made to tell his story in 1903 when Cox was interviewed and his record published in Middleton’s weekly newspaper, the Outlook – he was 75 at the time. In 1904, the article was reprinted in the Wolfville Acadian. I learned about this account of Cox’s career from the Windsor historian L. S. (Larry) Loomer. Mr. Loomer copied the account from the Acadian and sent it to me, along with an explanatory letter. That was 20 years ago.

Recently I came across Mr. Loomer’s letter in my files. And since the newspaper article on Cox’s career may never have been recorded elsewhere, I’ve reproduced parts of it here. The list of ships makes for boring reading and I’ve only included a few of them. The complete list, as published in the Middleton and Wolfville newspapers, is available for anyone interested enough to contact me through this newspaper.

“You and Leon Barron and others have done a remarkable job of finding information about the Kingsport ship designer and builder Ebenezer Cox,” Loomer wrote. “Sometimes, however, luck sometimes succeeds amazingly where much hard digging finds bits, pieces and frustration. “Brace yourself. Here are all thirty of the vessels designed and built by Cox, and some of the missing pieces of the story.   

“Ebenezer Cox began shipbuilding in 1864 in partnership with his brother William A. Cox and Joseph Woodworth, at the site of the later steamship wharf in Kingsport. Their first vessel was the Diadem. The second vessel was Oak Point (the old name for Kingsport). The partnership was dissolved (and) Woodworth proceeded alone as owner of the shipyard, with Cox as designer and master builder. Under this arrangement, three vessels were built: the J. E. Woodworth, brig, 300 tons, 1866; William, bark, 850 tons, and the Somerset, brig, 250 tons in 1867, for C. R. Burgess of Wolfville.

By 1867 Woodworth was in financial difficulty, and about that year he became a partner with Charles Barteaux of New York. Their first vessel was the Nictaux, a schooner of 547 tons (1868?). She was the last vessel built in the old yard. Woodworth bought the Bigelow yards about half a mile up the Canning river. There, between l870 and l875 Woodworth and Cox built nine vessels as follows:
“Fair and Easy, 300 ton brig; Berwick, 400 ton barque; Emma Frances, 355 ton barque; Nancy, 267 brig; Exploit, 40 ton schooner; Bertaux, 1022 ship; C. R. Burgess, 513 ton brig; Charlie, 770 ton barque; and the Kate Howe, 549 ton barque.

“P. R. Creighton then took over the business (with) Cox continuing as designer-builder. They produced nine vessels. After Creighton died, C. R. Burgess (continued to build vessels) with Cox in charge. Burgess appears to have remained involved in the building (of the last six vessels built in the yard).”

In a footnote, Loomer wrote that the Kings County and Canada (mentioned earlier) were “claimed as the largest vessels built in Canada at that time. The thirty vessels, built in as many years, had an aggregate of 28,096 tons.