American Car and Foundry Company

The Jackson and Sharp Company, a manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, was incorporated in Delaware on February 24, 1869, as the successor to the partnership of Jackson & Sharp.

Job H. Jackson (1833-1901), a tinsmith and mechanic, and Jacob F. Sharp (ca. 1815-1888), an experienced car builder, opened a small car-building shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1863. Wilmington was a major center for the manufacture of railroad passenger cars prior to the development of Pullman, Ill., in 1881. After the incorporation, Sharp retired in 1870, and Jackson erected the larger Delaware Car Works at the foot of 8th Street. A shipyard was added in 1875. By the late 1880s the company was turning out about 400 cars per year, as well as streetcars, sash-work and panelling for buildings.

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