James Forgie Papers
name: label: Creator
content: Forgie, James
label: Names
content: Pennsylvania Railroad.
place: label: Place
content: Hudson River
label: Place
content: New York (N.Y.) -- Transportation
topic: label: Topic
content: Tunnels
label: Topic
content: Subways -- New York (N.Y.)
label: Topic
content: Bridges -- 1890-1940
label: Topic
content: Civil engineering -- 1890-1940 -- U.S.
label: Topic
content: Civil engineers
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated by Mrs. James Forgie, 1967.
creator: label: Creator
content: Forgie, James
setName: label: See more items in
content: James Forgie Papers
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James Forgie (1868-1958) was born in Longside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Forgie graduated from Gordon's Technical College, Aberdeen, Scotland (1881-1885) and apprenticed in the office of civil engineer George Gordon Jenkins from 1885-1889.  Forgie came to the United States in 1902 to work as a chief assistant engineer to the Pennsylvania Railroad on tunnels in New York City. He joined the private engineering practice with partners Charles M. Jacobs and J.Vipond Davies of Jacobs and Davies, Inc. from 1909-1923. Forgie was awarded the Tedlford Gold Medal from the Institute of Civil Engineering (British) in 1915 in recognition of his paper "The Laxaxalpam Aqueduct Tunnels in Mexico." He authored numerous articles about tunneling and consulted as a an expert witness and arbitrator in many legal cases involving tunneling. Forgie was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Institute of Civil Engineers of Canada, and New York Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

Forgie married Martha Maitland Thom (1868-1936) in 1895. They had four children: Martha (b. 1900), Wilhelmina (b. 1902), James (b. 1904), and Christina (b. 1906).  Forgie later married Anne McDougall (b. 1872) in 1937.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 38.8 Cubic feet (85 boxes; 33 map-folders; 18 volumes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1856-1952
label: Date
content: bulk 1900-1935
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: In a 2005 reorganization of the National Museum of American History, the engineering collections were transferred to the newly configured Division of Work and Industry. Subsequently they were transferred to the Archives Center.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0986
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Patents
label: Type
content: Clippings
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Reports
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Legal documents
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Professional Papers, 1892-1945

Series 2: Projects, 1914-1957

Series 3: Publications, 1856-1952

Series 4: Drawings, 1888-1951
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2017.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1900-1950
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents
label: Genre/Form
content: Clippings -- 1890-1960
label: Genre/Form
content: Business records
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts -- 1890-1940
label: Genre/Form
content: Reports
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1890-1900
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Legal documents
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers contain correspondence, reports, drawings, blueprints, cost estimates, contracts, specifications, regulations, legal documents, photographs, profiles, diagrams, clippings, and publications concerning projects which Forgie worked on, especially the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, the Midtown Hudson Tunnels in New York City. Also included are publications and patents on subaqueous tunneling, subway stations, and bridges, and material on the Forgie submarine.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
content: Materials at the Archives Center

The Foundation Company Records (AC0974)

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Tunnels (AC0060)

Herbert S. Grassman Papers (AC0955)

Penn Station, New York Photographs (AC1048)

Lawrence Talma Smith Papers (AC0988)

Silas H. Woodward Papers (AC1038)

Alfred Maevis Collection (AC0954)

William R. Hutton Papers (AC0987)

Montgomery C. Meigs Papers (AC0984)

Henry Grattan Tyrrell and Mary Maude Knox Tyrrell Papers (AC0948)

Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Records Collection (AC0969)

Chicago Surface Lines Drawings (AC0212)

Grand Central Terminal Collection (AC1071)

Modjeski and Masters Company Records (AC0976)

Thomas Norrell Railroad Photographs Collection (AC1174)
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: The Division of Work and Industry holds a model of a Ram for driving tunnel shields (1933).  It was used in driving the Union Tunnel for the  Pennsylvania Railroad, 1933-1934 by James Forgie. See accession #MC.329243.