mahlon betts, a carpenter, arrived in wilmington in 1812. after helping construct many prominent buildings in the city, betts branched out into foundry work in 1821. in 1836, betts partnered with samuel pusey (a machinist) and began manufacturing railcars at a plant on west and water streets in wilmington. the next year, cabinetmaker samuel harlan joined the firm, then known as betts, pusey & harlan. by 1839, the company claimed to have manufactured 39 passenger and 28 freight cars over the previous two years. the next year, they hired jacob f. sharp, a former house carpenter, to build railroad cars. he would rise to become foreman at the plant, and eventually co-founded the rival firm of jackson and sharp.