John A. Roebling Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Roebling, Charles Gustavus, 1849-1918
label: Creator
content: Roebling, Ferdinand W. (Ferdinand William), 1842-1917
label: Creator
content: John A. Roebling's Sons Company
label: Creator
content: Roebling, John Augustus, 1806-1869
label: Creator
content: Roebling, Washington Augustus, 1837-1926.
label: Collector
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology
label: Collector
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering
label: Collector
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry
topic: label: Topic
content: Bridges -- New York (N.Y.)
label: Topic
content: Bridge construction industry -- United States
label: Topic
content: Bridges -- Design and construction
label: Topic
content: Iron industry and trade -- United States
label: Topic
content: Iron industry and trade -- Colorado
label: Topic
content: Wire industry -- New Jersey
label: Topic
content: Suspension bridges -- Design and construction
label: Topic
content: Ski lifts
label: Topic
content: Wire-rope industry -- New Jersey
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This collection was donated by Blair Birdsall, former chief engineer at John A. Roebling's Sons Company in 1981.
creator: label: Creator
content: Roebling, Charles Gustavus, 1849-1918
label: Creator
content: Roebling, Ferdinand W. (Ferdinand William), 1842-1917
label: Creator
content: John A. Roebling's Sons Company
label: Creator
content: Roebling, John Augustus, 1806-1869
label: Creator
content: Roebling, Washington Augustus, 1837-1926.
setName: label: See more items in
content: John A. Roebling Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the work of the John A. Roebling's Sons Company, builders of bridges. The materials consist primarily of photograph albums documenting some of the bridges, tramways, ski lifts and chair lifts that Roebling's Sons Company was involved with. The documentation also includes specifications, patents, and reference materials about the engineering process of building bridges and bridges in general.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: John Augustus Roebling (1806-1869) was the founder and proprietor of John A. Roebling's Sons Company. Born in Mühlhausen, Germany, he was a civil engineer famous for his wire rope suspension bridge designs, in particular, the design of the Brooklyn Bridge. Roebling married Johana Herting in 1836 and they had nine children: Washington A. Roebling (1837-1926); Laura R. Methfessel (1840-1873); Ferdinand W. Roebling (1842-1917); Elvira R. Stewart (1844-1871); Josephine R. Jarvis (b. 1847); Charles Gustavus Roebling (1849-1918); Edmund Roebling (1854-1930); William Roebling (b. 1856, d. 1860); and Hannah Roebling (died in infancy). Roebling's three sons, Washington Augustus Roebling; Ferdinand William Roebling and Charles Gustavus Roebling, worked for the company. 

Roebling's Sons Company was active in the design and manufacture of wire rope used in the erection of suspension bridges since the 1840s. Roebling devised a system of spinning the wires together where weights and swivels turned the wire coils in the opposite direction from the twisting, thereby removing kinks. Method of and Machine for Manufacturing Wire Rope (US Patent # 2,720) issued on July 16, 1842. Roebling would adapt this wire rope to his suspension bridge principle. In 1848, he established a company—John Roebling's Sons Company—in Trenton, New Jersey, to manufacture his wire rope. Roebling manufacturing plants were sold in 1952 to the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) Company of Pueblo, Colorado. In 1968, the Crane Company purchased the CF& I.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 18.5 Cubic feet (62 boxes, 1 map-folder)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1836-1975
label: Date
content: bulk 1930-1950
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: This collection was formerly known as the Blair Birdsall Collection. It was transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2007.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0981
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photograph albums
label: Type
content: Specifications
label: Type
content: Reports
label: Type
content: Price lists
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Newsletters
label: Type
content: Letterpress books
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Type
content: Genealogies
label: Type
content: Notebooks
label: Type
content: Patents
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1, Historical background materials, 1895-1958, undated

Subseries 1, Biographical, 1900-1958, undated

Subseries 2, John A. Roebling's and Sons Company materials, 1895-1949

Subseries 3, Newsletters, 1929-1931

Series 2, Photographs, 1926-1975

Series 3, Specifications, 1855-1962

Series 4, Reports, 1928-1938

Series 5, Patent materials, 1849-1952

Series 6, Reference materials, 1836-1964
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Beatrice Kelly (intern) and Alison Oswald (archivist), August 2009.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photograph albums
label: Genre/Form
content: Specifications
label: Genre/Form
content: Reports
label: Genre/Form
content: Price lists
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Newsletters -- 1920-1940
label: Genre/Form
content: Letterpress books
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Genre/Form
content: Genealogies
label: Genre/Form
content: Notebooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection documents the work of the John A. Roebling's Sons Company, builders of bridges. The materials consist primarily of photograph albums documenting a variety of bridges, mostly in the United States. The documentation also includes specifications, patents, and reference materials about the engineering process of building bridges and bridges in general.

Series 1, Historical background materials, 1895-1958, is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1, John A. Roebling's and Sons Company materials, 1895-1949 and Subseries 2, Newsletters, 1929-1931.

Subseries 1, John A. Roebling's and Sons Company materials, 1895-1949, contains a variety of items related to the company such as historical narratives, correspondence, price lists, testing data, and a ledger with cost estimates. The correspondence is partially bound (pages 1 to 104) from a letter press book (handwritten and typescript) belonging to John A. Roebling's and Sons Company. William Hildebrand and Charles G. Roebling are the chief correspondents. The correspondence documents daily activities related to the design and erection of bridges as well as finances and supplies. Charles G. Roebling's notebook, undated, contains calculations and notes about various bridge projects. 

Subseries 2, Newsletters, 1929-1931, contain copies of Blue Center and  Wire Engineering, which were John A. Roebling's and Sons Company publications intended for employees.  The newsletters were apparently used as scrapbooks, with black-and-white photographs pasted into the pages. Found among the pages of Blue Center are photographs of the Hudson River Bridge and in Wire Engineering, there are photographs of the Maysville, Kentucky Bridge. 

Series 2, Photographs, 1926-1975, comprises the largest series in the collection. The photographs are primarily black-and-white and document aerial tramways, tramways for logging or mining, chair lifts, ski lifts, floods, and bridge construction projects. The latter makes up the majority. Most photographs were assembled into albums with corresponding captions and dates, and almost all of the photographs document bridges in the United States. There is one exception, the Yauricocha Tramway in Peru. In some instances, the captions are recorded on the back of the photographs, and others were recorded on album pages. The series is arranged alphabetically by name of bridge and/or project.  

Series 3, Specifications, 1855-1962, consists of printed textual documents (both bound and loose) that contain information for bidders, proposals, contracts, and bonds, and the detailed specifications. This series is arranged alphabetically by bridge name. 

Series 4, Reports, 1928-1938, contains bound reports (both progress and final) detailing problems, requirements, research, manufacture, plant installation, cable equipment, strand adjustments, and Roebling Company developments. This series is arranged alphabetically by bridge/and/or project.

Series 5, Patent materials, 1849-1952, consists of issued patents (to a variety of individuals) for cable and cable appliances, cables, and cable apparatus, cableways and tramways, and grips. The patents are arranged by subject area, then by patent number.  

Series 6, Reference materials, 1836-1964, contains a wide range of materials—articles, biographical files, drawings, photographs, newspaper clippings, advertising, correspondence, notes—documenting all aspects of bridges. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Materials in the Archives Center

George S. Morison Collection (NMAH.AC.0978)

Modjeski and Masters Company Records (NMAH.AC.0976)

Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection (NMAH.AC.1577)

Materials at Other Organizations

The Rutgers University, Special Collections and University Archives 

Roebling Family Collection, cicra 1820s-1950s

Correspondence, journals, reports, business records, biographical data, blueprints, engineering drawings, genealogical charts, tape recordings, photos, printed matter, and other papers, relating to John Augustus Roebling (1806-1869), noted for his manufacture of wire and construction of suspension bridges, his son, Washington Augustus Roebling (1837-1926), and his grandson, John Augustus Roebling II (1867-1952). Includes correspondence (1849-1865) with Charles Swan; correspondence (1868-1902) of Washington A. Roebling's wife, Emily Warren Roebling; correspondence (1894-1907) of John A. Roebling's first wife, Margaret Shippen MacIlvaine (1867-1930); memorials and other papers (1918) relating to Charles G. Roebling; correspondence and papers of Hamilton Schuyler and David B. Steinman, biographers of members of the Roebling family; material relating to construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and to the Civil War; letterpress copybooks (1887-1912), correspondence and reports (1876-1939), index to company minutes (1876-1960), stock transaction agreements (1952) with Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, and other papers, of John A. Roebling's Sons Company, wire manufacturers; salary records (1953-1960) of Roebling Securities Corporation; and papers of Vitrite and Luminoid Co., New York, N.Y.

Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Libraries, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Roebling Collection, 1824-1926

The Roebling Collection documents the personal and professional activities of John A. Roebling and Washington A. Roebling; and business activities of the John A. Roebling's Sons Company.  The material dates from 1824 to 1926 with the bulk of the material dating from 1844 to 1883.