Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Records
name: label: Creator
content: Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company
label: Names
content: Niagara Falls Arch Bridge Commission
label: Names
content: Niagara Falls International Bridge Company
label: Names
content: Buck, Leffert L.
label: Names
content: Burrows, George L.
label: Names
content: Reynolds, Thomas
label: Names
content: Roebling, John Augustus, 1806-1869
place: label: Place
content: Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Bridge maintenance
label: Topic
content: Bridges -- New York (N.Y.)
label: Topic
content: Suspension bridges
label: Topic
content: Arch bridges
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Unknown.
creator: label: Creator
content: Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company
setName: label: See more items in
content: Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: Correspondence, bridge construction and condition reports, financial records, and other materials created by or concerning the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company (NFSB).  The main focus of the collection is company administration and the daily operation of a series of bridges connecting the U.S. and Canada over the Niagara Gorge.
accruals: label: Accruals
content: Additional materials were added to the collection. 

Five volumes (business records relating to the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission were purchased from Dunacan McLaren, in May 2013. 

Four volumes of letterpress copybooks of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission were purchased from Margaret Dobrzensky in June 2014.

One cash book of the Niagara Railway Arch Bridge Company was purchased in May 2015 from Margaret Dobrzensky. 

Approximately 2 cubic feet of drawings, maps, and plans related to the Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge were added to the collection in October 2022. The materials were transferred from the Division of Work and Industry,
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: [1]  In 1846 the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company were formed to construct, maintain, and manage the affairs of a bridge connecting the United States and Canada over the Niagara Gorge.  The Niagara Falls International Bridge Company formed the American component of the joint venture, and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company formed the Canadian component.  The companies were governed by a joint board and managed by elected presidents.  A superintendent was employed for daily activities such as cash accounting, employee interaction, and bridge supervision.
 
The first suspension bridge was built in 1848, but less than ten years later a stronger bridge was needed due to heavy traffic.  John A. Roebling designed and oversaw construction of the Railway Suspension Bridge.  The new bridge officially opened in 1855 and supported pedestrian, carriage, and train traffic. 
 
Increasing use and heavier loads warranted the construction of a bridge with higher load capacity.  The Third Suspension Bridge was completed in 1885, under the direction of engineer Leffert L. Buck. 
 
The demand for a bridge capable of accommodating increasingly heavier loads and traffic led to the construction of the Lower Arch Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Steel Arch Bridge and renamed the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge in 1939).  Once again, Leffert L. Buck designed and managed construction of the bridge, which was completed in 1897.  The Lower Arch Bridge was built around the skeleton of the Third Suspension Bridge, without disrupting travel.  The Lower Arch Bridge supported pedestrian and carriage traffic.  A separate level carried train traffic, and the bridge companies maintained contractual relationships with various rail carriers, including the Grand Trunk Railway, Michigan Central Railroad, and the Canadian National Railway.  This bridge is still in use today.  
 
George L. Burrows (1836-1921) was president of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company from 1885 until his death, and was supported by Superintendent Thomas Reynolds for the majority of his tenure.  During a portion of the time covered by this collection Charles Riordan was president of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company, with J.H. Ingersoll acting as Secretary-Treasurer (and later president).
 
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission was created in 1938, and bought the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge in 1959.  The Board of Commissioners consists of citizens of both the United States and Canada, and the main function of the organization is to oversee the management of the Whirlpool Rapids, Rainbow, and Lewiston-Queenston Bridges.


[1] In addition to sources from within the collection, historical information on the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company was taken from:

Berketa, Rick. 2006. Bridges over Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls Thunder Alley. http://www.niagarafrontier.com/index.html (accessed 27 July 2006).

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. 2006. Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. http://www.niagarafallsbridges.com/index.php3 (accessed 27 July 2006).
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8 Cubic feet (23 boxes, 5 map folders)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1848-1946
label: Date
content: bulk 1890-1929
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry (formerly known as the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering) in 2007.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1060
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1, Company Governance, 1848-1926

Series 2, Bridge Construction and Maintenance, 1851-1946

Series 3, General Correspondence, 1885-1946

Series 4, Financial Records, 1848-1941

Series 5, Miscellaneous Published Materials, 1892-1920s
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Nicole Kenney, (intern), July/August 2006 and July 2007; supervised by John Fleckner, archivist.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: This collection is comprised of paper-based documents, created from 1848 to 1946 (with the majority created between 1890 and 1929), that relate to the business affairs of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company.  The bulk of the collection was created by or addressed to the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company, but as the two companies are interconnected, there are documents created by or for the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company. 
 
This collection provides data on topics such as business administration; bridge development, construction, and maintenance; and the early careers of two important engineers—John A. Roebling and Leffert L. Buck.  John A. Roebling designed several famous bridges, most notably the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.  Leffert L. Buck co-engineered the Williamsburg Bridge, also in New York City.  At the time of its completion, the Williamsburg Bridge was the longest bridge in the world.[1]
        	
The collection has been divided into series based on a reconstruction of the original order, which appears to have been based on subject.  In cases where the original order has been lost, subject divisions have been created.  Most series and subseries are arranged chronologically, although there are some departures from this arrangement.
 
The collection is divided into five series: Series 1, Company Governance, 1848-1926; Series 2, Bridge Construction and Maintenance, 1851-1946; Series 3, General Correspondence, 1885-1946; Series 4, Financial Records, 1848-1941; and Series 5, Miscellaneous Published Materials, 1892-1920s. 
 

[1] Wikipedia. 2007. Leffert L. Buck.  20 June 2007.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leffert_L._Buck (accessed 23 July 2007).