George S. Morison Collection

Provenance: The collection was donated by Robert S. Morison, Elting Morison, and John H. Morison on June 17, 1985.

Summary: The collection documents the career of George S. Morison, a prominent civil engineer, specializing in railroad bridge design. The materials consist primarily of drawings and maps (linen tracings, blueprints, sketches); final bridge reports; photographs; glass plate negatives; daily diaries; correspondence; and published material documenting George S. Morison's participation on the Isthmian Canal Commission, 1898-1903.

Accruals: Additional materials documenting George S. Morison were donated by Christina M. Leonard, Elting E. Morison, and John H. Morison on June 22, 1993.

Biographical / Historical: Morison (1842-1903) of Peterborough, New Hampshire, was a prominent civil engineer specializing in railroad bridge design. He built ten bridges over the Missouri River, five over the Mississippi River and one over the Ohio River. Morison designed bridges in New York, and worked on the New York waterfront. He also helped to locate a deep water harbor in southern California and designed and built several viaducts. Morison served on numerous engineering boards and acted as a consulting expert for Baring Brothers Company. Morison was a member of several important engineering committees, the most important of which was the Isthmus Canal (Panama Canal) Commission, 1899-1903. He was instrumental in changing its recommended location from Nicaragua to Panama.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements: Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.

Custodial History: The collection was transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2006.

Citation: George Morison Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Arrangement: The collection is arranged into seven series. Series 1: Diaries, 1863-1903 Subseries 1.1: Biographical Materials, 1863-1903 Subseries 1.2: Diaries, 1863-1903 Subseries 1.3: Newspaper Clippings, 1880-1898 Series 2: Correspondence, 1870-1903 Series 3: Reports/Printed Materials, 1846-1903 Series 4: Photographs, 1888, 1892-1893 Series 5: Glass Plate Negatives, 1886-1889 Subseries 5.1: Bellefontaine Bridge, undated Subseries 5.2: Blair Crossing, 1893 Subseries 5.3: Cairo Bridge, 1888-1889 Subseries 5.4: Kansas City Bridge, 1886 Subseries 5.5: Memphis Bridge, circa 1893 Subseries 5.6: Memphis Bridge, 1891-1893 Subseries 5.7: Nebraska City Bridge, 1887-1888 Subseries 5.8: Omaha Bridge, undated Subseries 5.9: Panama Canal, undated Subseries 5.10: Rulo Bridge, 1886-1889 Subseries 5.11: Sioux City, circa 1881 Series 6: Lantern Slides, 1878-1894 Subseries 6.1: Isthmian Canal, undated Subseries 6.2: General, 1878-1894 Series 7: Drawings, circa 1881-1900

Rights: Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Restrictions: Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Related Materials: Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History George W. Sims Papers, 1896-1981. (AC0127) Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, 1895-1921 (AC0143) Silas H. Woodard Papers, ca. 1899-1932 (AC1038) Make the Dirt Fly! Materials in Other Organizations Minnesota Historical Society Engineering Dept. records. Northern Pacific Railway Company records, 1867-1970. Subject files (1867-1970); accounting records (1879-1921); standard plans for buildings, bridges, and other structures ([188-]-[196-]); track profile maps (1890-1927); and bridge records (1892-1960) created or compiled by the Northern Pacific administrative unit responsible for locating, surveying, constructing, and maintaining roadways and structures. Contains letter press books for George S. Morison. Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey Includes photographs and drawings for some of Morison's bridges.

Separated Materials: Artifacts related to this collection are in the Division of Work & Industry (See accessions #1984.1093 and #1993.0113) and includes camera equipment, drafting curves, and an omnimeter transit with tripod.

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