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 9 items.
- No Image Available
Cummings Structural Concrete Company Records, 1884-1952
- Notes
- Robert A. Cummings (1866-1937) was a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania consulting civil engineer and an early advocate of reinforced concrete construction
- Summary
- Correspondence and business records documenting Cummings's firm, consulting work, and participation in professional associations, especially the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1892-1893, circa 1900-1939; technical data and publications on soils testing, 1900-1939; and drawings, blueprints, and photographs and glass negatives of construction projects
- Cite as
- Cummings Structural Concrete Company Records, 1884-1952, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1884
- 1884-1952
- 1900-1950
- Creator
- Cummings Structural Concrete Company
- author
- Cummings, Robert A. 1866-1962
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Subject
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Matthew Mawhinney Industrial Furnace Collection, 1917-1978
- Notes
- Matthew Mawhinney, an engineer specializing in industrial furnace design and operation, collected this material during his career with Salem Engineering Co. and later as a consulting engineer
- Summary
- Several engineering textbooks authored by Mawhinney as well as correspondence relating to his articles in professional journals and presentations to meetings of engineers. His correspondence with industrial companies and photographs of furnaces and other equipment are also included
- Cite as
- Matthew Mawhinney Industrial Furnace Collection, 1917-1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1917
- 1917-1918
- 1917-1978
- 1930-1950
- Creator
- Mawhinney, Matthew engineer (collector)
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Salem Engineering Co
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Robert B. Rice Papers, 1915-1954
- Notes
- Rice was a consulting engineer and professor of engineering at Newark College of Engineering, 1928-1936, and at North Carolina State University, 1937-1956
- Summary
- Personal papers and correspondence (ca. 1946-1953) of Rice; publications, mostly on Diesel engines, their components and technical problems; material from Rice's academic career; directories of Diesel engine manufacturers and brochures describing their products; technical manuals and reprints of technical articles
- Cite as
- Robert B. Rice Papers, 1915-1954, Archives Center, National Museumof American History
- Date
- 1915
- 1915-1954
- 1910-1960
- 20th century
- author
- Rice, Robert B. 1900-1976
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
American Society of Civil Engineers Fellows Collection, 1929-1969
- Notes
- This material was solicited from ASCE by Robert M. Vogel of NMAH in 1971-1975. ASCE, through its executive directors, coordinated the collection of the papers from the various authors
- Summary
- Technical papers by Mr. Camp and other Fellows of ASCE, published in The ASCE Journal or other professional journals in the field of civil engineering. They deal primarily with problems of water supply and sewage disposal
- Cite as
- American Society of Civil Engineers Fellows Collection, 1929-1969, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1929
- 1929-1969
- 1930-1950
- 20th century
- Creator
- Wisely, William H. Executive Director, ASCE (collector)
- author
- Camp, Thomas R
- collector
- Zwoyer, Eugene Executive Director, ASCE
- collectors
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Laing, Kirby
- Martin, Park T
- Morgan, Arthur E
- Newnam, Frank H
- Robinson, Thomas
- Tatlow, Richard T III
- Torres, Ary F
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Robert B. Rice Film Collection, 1936-1945
- Notes
- Rice was a consulting engineer and a professor of engineering at Newark College of Engineering, 1928-1936, and North Carolina State University, 1937-1956
- Summary
- Films depict U.S. Navy personnel carrying out maintenance and repair operations on diesel engines. The films were made under the supervision of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for Bureau of Ships. 400-500 feet in length, with a voice-over commentary on technical aspects of the work on Bessemer, General Motors, and International diesel engines
- Cite as
- Robert B. Rice Film Collection, 1936-1945, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1936
- 1936-1945
- 1910-1960
- 1930-1950
- author
- Rice, Robert B. 1900-1976
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- United States Navy
- Newark College of Engineering
- North Carolina State University
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Frick Company Collection, 1860-1960
- Notes
- The Frick Company of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania was founded by George Frick in 1853. It initially manufactured steam engines, later diversifying into harvesting machinery and other equipment. In 1882, Frick began to produce refrigerating equipment, for which it eventually became best known
- Summary
- Ledger account books of Frick Co. financial operations, including purchasing records and payrolls; scrapbooks of newspaper clippings; voluminous hand-written business correspondence; and miscellaneous company publications, including historical summaries of its operations and products and the founder's biography
- Photographs: Depict Frick ice plant in Japan; also Frick equipment in NMAH
- Cite as
- Frick Company Collection, 1860-1960, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1860
- 1860-1960
- 1840-1990
- 20th century
- creator
- Frick Company, George Waynesboro, Pa
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- company founder
- Frick, George 1826-1892
- Local number
- 246881 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums, 1900-1956
- Notes
- Engineer involved in building the Panama Canal, as well as structures in Hawai'i and San Francisco
- Summary
- Two photograph albums documenting Van Tassell's engineering career and family life. The photographs include images from the islands of O'ahu and Hawai'i, including photographs of buildings, structures, ships, harbors, a sugar factory, the Kilauea Volcano, mills and the "Rainbow Bridge' near Hilo, which Van Tassell was involved in building. Images of Mexico include the pyramids, street scenes, bullfights, and building construction. Photographs from Havana include the harbor, sugar mill and castle. Other images are from Texas, Long Island, Kentucky, Virginia, and Seattle
- Cite as
- A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Album, 1900-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1900
- 1900-1956
- 20th century
- photographer
- Van Tassell, A.R
- donor
- Jackson, Paul
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3179 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company Records, 1863-1936
- Notes
- This railroad was chartered in 1833 to provide low-cost transportation from the Schuylkill and Mahanoy anthracite coal fields in eastern Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. Main line from Philadelphia to Pottsville opened 1842. Reading expanded by acquiring other railroads, and by 1869 had monopoly of coal traffic from Schuylkill anthracite region
- Expansion accelerated when Franklin B. Gowen became president (1869) and attempted to dominate entire anthracite trade. Purchased Schuylkill Canal (1870) to eliminate competition for coal trade; then organized the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company in 1871 to purchase and operate coal mines; secured over 40 percent of U.S. anthracite reserves, but debt incurred led railroad to bankruptcy and receivership (1880). Gowen's reckless style drove the Reading into second receivership (1886), and he was forced to resign
- Gowen's Successor, Archibald A. McLeod, tried to increase company control over anthracite trade (1892-1893), then control of several New England railroads. The Reading went bankrupt again and McLeod was ousted. In a reorganization (1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad and the Coal & Iron Company became properties of the Reading Company, a holding company. Later additions to system were infrequent and largely confined to short branches and improvements inalignment. Due to anti-trust proceedings, company divested mining subsidiary (1923) and merged wholly owned railroad companies into an operating company. Acquired Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad 1963, went bankrupt in early 1970s, and conveyed portions of its lines to Conrail (1976). The reorganized Reading Company retains real estate and other non-rail holdings
- Summary
- Primarily outgoing correspondence from the Engineering Department of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, the remainder being engineering reports and other miscellaneous papers
- SERIES 1: 219 letterpress copybook volumes from various engineers, each with own index (1865-1892): were generated by Chief Engineer, Assistant Chief Engineer, various resident engineers, other lower-level engineers, and the Chief Road-Master. Bulk of copybooks created by William H. Bines and Henry K. Nichols during long careers with the Philadelphia & Reading. Other volumes contain letters and reports by Charles W. Buckholz, Charles E. Byers, William Lorenz, and others. Correspondence covers all aspects of the engineering operations of the railroad, much of it at highest levels, being addressed to the Presidents of the Reading. Also includes one letterbook from John E. Wooten (1865), Superintendent
- SERIES 2: Reports of Chief Engineer to Auditor, 1908-1910; structural design calculation notebooks, 1901-1935; right of way deeds, 1903; and tracings of assorted machine parts
- Cite as
- Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1863
- 1863-1936
- 1930-1950
- creator
- Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co
- collector
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Bines, William H
- Boggs, George B
- Buckholz, Charles W
- Byers, Charles E
- Chamberlain, E.C
- Davis, N.M
- Gowen, Franklin B
- Jamison, Robert
- Keim, George DeB
- Lorenz, William
- Manning, Charles P
- Nichols, Henry K
- Rice, George
- Royers, John H
- Steele, J. Dutton
- Thompson, J.W
- Richardson, F.E
- Whitney, E.S
- Wilson, H.T
- Wootten, John E
- Yarington, T.O
- Zacharias, H.C
- Atlantic City Railroad
- Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad
- Reading Belt Railroad
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930
- Notes
- The notebook of J. Parker Snow has been transferred to the J.Parker Snow Wooden Bridge Collection, No. 225
- Summary
- Mainly personal notebooks of engineers, although one is a listing of products of a manufacturer of gears and another is a compilation of shop orders for various products of a manufacturer. They generally contain technical descriptions, drawings, specifications, and financial data
- Cite as
- Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, NMAH
- Date
- 1835
- 1835-1930
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Bennett, C
- Blaisdell, Alfred O
- Gordon, W. F
- Reed, James
- Richardson, William J
- Sheldon, Frank P
- Snow, J. Parker
- Ames Iron Works
- Hendrick Manufacturing Company
- Woodruff and Beach Iron Works
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH