Alexander Shaw Collection (1974.01)

Biographical note

Alexander Shaw, son of Charles Wesley and Fannie (Bissell) Shaw, was born on 14 May 1905 in Joppa, Maryland. He died on 11 January 1974 in Abingdon, Harford, Maryland. He was 68 at the time of death due to a stroke. Alexander married Margaret Stump, and the couple had four daughters: Margaret, Sarah, Frances, and Eliza, and one son, Alexander, Jr.

He graduated from Gilman School in 1924 and Princeton University in 1928. He continued graduate-level coursework in Princeton’s architecture program. He also studied at the Art Students' League in New York. Over a 40-year career, he designed numerous buildings, including the Red Fox Restaurant (Bel Air), Harford Mutual Insurance building (Bel Air), Bel Air County Office Building, and the Citizens Nursing Home (Havre de Grace). Alexander retired in June 1973.

He supported the British war effort during the Great War by drawing silhouettes of ships for identification purposes. Both the British and United States navies relied on the series. Several volumes of fleet lists resulted in invaluable records concerning unique vessels. He had unsuccessfully volunteered to join the British Navy at the start of World War I, but he was not a British citizen and suffered from poor health.

Alexander's love of ships and drawing started in his youth. He was a ship history enthusiast, historian, and collector interested in Liberty ships. He shared his research through presentations, like the 1971 slide presentation in Baltimore at the SSHSA annual meeting. He was a member of the Steamship Historical Society, St. Michaels Maritime Museum, World Ship Society, and the International Oceanographic Foundation.

His collection of research material is impeccably organized and easily recognizable. His notes bear his distinctive personal stamp, an "AS" monogram and anchor in blue ink, a hallmark of the collector's commitment to documenting maritime history.