Engineering, Building, and Architecture - Overview
Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.
The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.
"Engineering, Building, and Architecture - Overview" showing 8 items.
- No Image Available
J. Parker Snow Collection, 1882-1933 (bulk 1930-1933)
- Notes
- Bridge engineer
- Summary
- Snow's engineering notebook, 1882; notes relating to his writings on the history of wooden bridges; drafts and manuscripts for articles he wrote on the development of wooden bridges; and correspondence, especially with engineering journals relating to efforts to get his manuscripts published
- Cite as
- J. Parker Snow Collection, 1882-1933 (bulk 1930-1933), Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1882
- 1882-1933
- bulk 1930-1933
- 20th century
- 1930-1940
- 1850-1900
- creator
- Snow, J. Parker
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3098 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Washington Society of Engineers Records, 1905-1969
- Notes
- A professional society of engineers founded in November of 1905
- Summary
- The collection documents work conducted by the Washington Society of Engineers. A large portion of the papers are from the offices of Charles E. Remington, Former Treasurer of the Society. The collection includes administrative records, organizational information, financial records, business records such as meeting minutes, general correspondence, reprints, records of programs and events, academic papers, and reference files on members and activities of the Society
- Date
- 1905
- 1988
- 1905-1969
- 20th century
- donor
- Washington Society of Engineers
- Ellenberger, William J
- author
- Remington, Charles E
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3086 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
P.J. Bier Papers, 1915-1970
- Notes
- Engineer, Colorado, who worked for the Bureau of Reclamation from 1923 to 1954
- Summary
- The collection documents Bier's work with the Bureau of Reclamation on dams and power stations in Colorado and Mexico. It includes project files, reports, correspondence, notes, blueprints and technical drawings
- Cite as
- P.J. Bier Papers, 1915-1970, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1915
- 1915-1970
- 20th century
- creator
- Bier, P. J
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Local number
- 2007.3087 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Lab Reports, 1906-1907
- Notes
- Mechanical engineer, was president of the Maywood Chemical Works
- Summary
- Two bound volumes of mechanical engineering lab reports, written by Marion John Hartung while attending Cornell University. The reports describe experiements, procedures followed, equipment used, test data, and cyanotypes of equipment
- Cite as
- Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Lab Reports, 1906-1907, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1906
- 1906-1907
- 1900-1910
- creator
- Hartung, Marion John 1886-1978
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1983.0627 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Llewellyn N. Edwards Papers, 1925-1964
- Notes
- Edwards, bridge designer and engineer, worked from 1901 to 1943 for the Boston Bridge Works, the Boston and Maine Railroad, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, the Toronto Department of Works, the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, and the Maine State Highway Commission. Edwards also was interested in the history of bridge engineering, particularly early American bridges
- Summary
- The papers include captioned photographs of dirt roads in North Carolina and Mississippi, 1913; articles, including reprints from engineering journals; typed and handwritten notes on bridges; a handwritten, bound bibliography on bridges; typed notes on bridges and bridge history, including some drawings; correspondence, most relating to his research on the history of bridges but also relating to other topics; reports on landslides in California; a partial manuscript (L-Z) for a glossary of terms relating to bridge engineering and construction; a typescript of "A Manual of Bridge Construction;" a manuscript of "Bridge Construction in America"; and extensive correspondence with J. P. Snow on the history of wooden bridges
- Date
- 1911
- 1911-1950
- 1925-1964
- 20th century
- author
- Edwards, Llewellyn N. 1873-1952
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3077 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
William Currie Photograph Album, 1904-1912
- Notes
- Civil engineer
- Summary
- Photograph album containing pictures both taken and collected by civil engineer William Currie. Includes photographs of three projects he worked on: construction of irrigation systems in the U.S. West, ca. 1904-1907; a sewage system for Louisville, Kentucky, ca. 1909-1910; and the Panama Canal, ca. 1911-1912
- Cite as
- William Currie Photograph Album, 1904-1912, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1904
- 1904-1912
- collector
- Currie, William
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1979.3087 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931
- Summary
- Lantern slides relating to various engineering and mining subjects
- Cite as
- Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1886
- 1886-1931
- 19th century
- 1900-1950
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- creator
- Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence
- Dodge Manufacturing Co
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3106 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, 1870-1890
- Notes
- Montgomery C. Meigs, a native of Georgia, graduated from West Point in 1836. As an Army engineer, Meigs was responsible for the construction of the Washington Aqueduct and for overseeing construction of the wings and dome of the U.S. Capitol. During the Civil War he served as Quartermaster General for the United States Army. Meigs retired from the army in 1882, but remained active with various engineering projects in the Washington, D. C. area until his death
- Summary
- A book of drawings of the Washington Aqueduct, 1858-1859, illustrating reservoirs, tunnels, bridges, culverts, and other elements. Also included is a U.S.Senate document, 1864, relating to the Aqueduct construction. The cover is marked "Progress of the Washington Aqueduct, Profile, 1858-59, Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs, United States Engineers, Washington." 2007 addendum: Scrapbooks of Meigs, containing clippings from Washington, D. C. newspapers concerning the Washington Aqueduct and water supply, engineering projects, building construction, architecture, and other topics, including "Indian Wars."
- Cite as
- Division of the History of Technology, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1870
- 1890
- 1870-1890
- 19th century
- 1850-1900
- creator
- Meigs, Montgomery C. 1816-1892
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Post Office Building (Washington, D.C.)
- United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)
- Pension Building
- Local number
- 293,969 (NMAH Acc.)
- 317,915 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1994.0052 (NMAH Acc.)
- 2007.3204 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH