Historical Materials

The "Golden Rule" was built in 1854 by Hitchcock and Company of Damariscotta, Maine, and registered on January 1, 1855 in Nobleboro, Maine, under the ownership of W. Hitchcock and others. The ship measured 1185 tons, 185 feet in length, 37 in width at the beam, and 23 feet deep. Ownership transferred to Frederick Nickerson of Boston on August 21, 1857, when the "Golden Rule" was re-registered in that city. Her captain at the time was Thomas Mayo. Her travels were extensive over the years. In the 1850s she sailed to ports as far flung as Calcutta, India, Valparaiso, Chile, and Shanghai, China. She had a long career of nearly fifty years, later being sold to Canadian owners.

Taken from Paul O'Pecko's contribution to the Christie's sales catalog, 2000.