Historic Structures

Aberdeen Station - Frisco Railway Depot, Aberdeen Mississippi

The St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (Frisco) began as the Pacific Railroad incorporated in Missouri in 1849. In 1876 this line was purchased by W. F. Buckley acting for the recently incorporated St. Louis and San Francisco Railway. The Frisco's entry into Mississippi came in 1901 when it acquired the lines of the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham, a railroad connecting these three cities. In 1925 the Frisco gained control of the Muscle Shoals, Birmingham and Pensacola Railway, which extended north from Pensacola to Kimbrough, Alabama, By June 1928 the line from Pensacola had been joined to existing Frisco lines by a new section of track following the Torabigbee River Valley. The Aberdeen Station was built at a junction point along this new line. The Aberdeen Station was not the first depot the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway erected in Aberdeen. Daniel Burnham designed the first one which was built on Maple Street in 1888.

Willamette River Swing Truss Railroad Bridge, Portland Oregon

The network of Vancouver-Portland railroad bridges across the Columbia River was the first bridge link between Oregon and Washington States, crossing the Great River of the West, and providing the necessary rail link between the four major railroads which met in the Portland-Vancouver area: the Great Northern (GN) and Northern Pacific (NP) railroads and their subsidiary, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Company (SP&S) from the north side of the river, and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (Union Pacific) and Southern Pacific Railroad from the Oregon side. Until the new bridges were built, the interchange of trains and cars was made by ferrys at Kalama and Vancouver, Washington. A highway bridge across the Columbia River, Interstate Bridge (US 99), would not be built until 1917. The Vancouver-Portland bridges run in a generally north-south line from Willbridge in northwest Portland, across the Willamette River to the North Portland peninsula, through the Portsmouth Cut across the peninsula to Columbia Slough, across the slough on a short single span and along a railroad fill-dike dividing Smith and Force (now Vanport area) lakes, low flood plain areas of the Columbia River, to the Oregon Slough (North Portland Harbor), across on the Oregon Slough Bridge to Hayden (Shaw) Island and along another fill, replacing the original Hayden Island Viaduct, to the Columbia River and the Vancouver Bridge. The total bridges, causeways, and cut complex is about 4-3/4-miles long from the north bank of the Columbia River to the south bank of the Willamette River, The bridges are comprised of 21 through truss bridge spans, three center swing draw spans, and three deck plate girder spans. The Willamette River Draw Span is the longest of the bridges, measuring 521 feet long. The Willamette River's four fixed through spans are identical with the six of the Vancouver Bridge, each 265 feet long. All piers are similar and constructed of granite ashlar faced plain mass concrete on timber piling or mass footings. Timber caissons were used to build the piers. The through truss fixed and draw spans are of the Pennsylvania (petit) type of Parker truss.

Morley Bridge - Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad Truss Bridge, Romley Colorado

In 1879, silver was discovered in the Sawatch Mountains south of Leadville. Within months, the town of Gunnison was platted as the smelting center for mining districts around St. Elmo, Tin Cup, Irwin, and Gothic. Almost immediately, two railroads- the Denver, South Park & Pacific and the Denver & Rio Grande- raced to lay track to Gunnison from their existing termini at Leadville. During the summer of 1880. the DSP&P built westward from Nathrop up Chalk Creek to St. Elmo before quitting construction for the winter. Early in 1881, track crews pushed past nearby Morley (also called Red Town because all the buildings were painted red, and later renamed Romley in 1897) to Alpine Pass, where they began construction of a tunnel. The tunnel lay in Ute Indian hunting lands, however, and the Ute Indians reportedly laid a curse on it because the presence of men and machinery ruined the place as a hunting ground. The work was difficult and dangerous. In their remote location, the building crew experienced difficulties among themselves that they resolved by hanging one crewmember. When the tunnel was finally completed the first train through it derailed. In 1882, the first DSP&P train steamed successfully into Gunnison through the Alpine Tunnel, then the highest tunnel on the continent. The railroad built numerous other timber and iron bridges on its way from Nathrop to Gunnison, including this wrought iron deck truss over Pomeroy Gulch at Morley. Built by a DSP&P construction crew in 1881. the Morley Bridge carried railroad traffic into the 20th century. As the mines in the region gradually played out, segments of the rail line were closed, this one in 1926, and converted to a county road. The Morley Bridge was redecked to carry cars and it carried vehicular traffic until 1992 when it was converted to a pedestrian bridge. The bridge now stands unaltered and adapted to a new use. Beginning in the late 1870s, the pin-connected wrought iron truss was the roadway bridge of choice for medium- and long-span crossings in America. Made of numerous built-up metal members connected to form series of triangles in a variety of web configurations, trusses functioned as complex, long-span beams. Colorado's counties erected a typical array of truss types, but concentrated primarily on the Pratt and its subtypes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The earliest Pratts featured pinned connections in what was known as the American style of truss assembly. While the Pratt truss was a popular design for many years, the ever-changing technology of the field required constant upgrades and improvements to the earlier designs. As a result, cast-iron and wrought iron bridge members were virtually eliminated due to the availability of steel by the 1890s; extant examples are rare and significant in Colorado.

Hilderbrand-McTighe House, Memphis Tennessee

According to local tradition, Benjamin Hilderbrand and his older brother Daniel traveled seasonally to the general area of this property as early as 1819, trading with the region's Native Americans from their base in the Natchez vicinity of Mississippi. Soon after that date, the brothers reportedly applied for a 7,000 acre federal land grant in the area of northern DeSoto County, Mississippi and southwestern Shelby County, Tennessee, though the grant was never issued. If true, the issuance of the grant probably was stalled by a continuing border dispute between the State of Tennessee, the Chickasaw Nation, and eventually, the State of Mississippi. The border dispute was not resolved until the Chickasaw Cession of 1834, and the 440 square miles of territory ceded were divided among members of the Chickasaw Nation, who were permitted to sell their properties to Anglo American settlers. One of the Chickasaws, Ton Tubby, deeded his interest in Section 1, Township 1, Range 8 West, and in Section 12, Township 1, Range 8 West, to Benjamin A. Hilderbrand on December 5, 1836 in two deeds for the total consideration of $2,980.00. On this property Benjamin Hilderbrand established permanent residence in Tennessee for the first time. Born in Mississippi in 1806, Benjamin A. Hilderbrand was among the earliest settlers of rural Shelby County. Hilderbrand moved permanently to Shelby County between 1830 and March 22, 1833, when he filed for a license to marry Susan Robertson, whom he married on March 28, 1833. Hilderbrand's bride was born 1816 in North Carolina, the daughter of Medicus Robertson, Sr. (died 1844), another early pioneer of Shelby County.

Traveller's Rest - John Overton House, Nashville Tennessee

Born in Louisa County, Virginia, Judge John Overton arrived in the Nashville area, then known as the Mero District of North Carolina, in 1789 by way of Kentucky, Shortly thereafter he was appointed Territorial revenue collector by President Washington, an office he maintained from 1795 to 1808, Overton was successful in law and in land speculation. From 1804 to 1810 Overton sat on the Superior Court of Tennessee and in 1811 he bacame a member of the newly established Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals. He began the custom of writing out decisions in Tennessee courts and in 1813 one of his colleagues, Judge Thomas Emmerson, edited a collection of opinions which became known as Overton's Reports. This work did much to establish precedent in the judicial system of the state. He became a close friend and advisor to Andrew Jackson, serving as his campaign manager in the presidential election campaign of 1824; Jackson's biographers agree that his presidential campaign was directed from Travellers' Rest.

Hancock Hall, La Grange Tennessee

Family tradition states that Dr. John Junius Pulliam came to LaGrange from Granville County, North Carolina in about 1857. He had purchased two lots in the town as early as 1850; however, this house is not on those lots. Hancock Hall was begun in 1857 and was used by the Union soldiers as headquarters for Colonel John K. Mizner. Mizner allowed the Pulliam family to remain in two rooms. In 1875 Dr. Pulliam exchanged homes with Mrs. Olive Winston, a daughter of Major Charles Michie; she moved to Hancock Hall and he to Woodlawn. Captain William Franklin Hancock bought the home from Mrs. Winston in 1881, just before the birth of the present owner. Subsequently Captain Hancock also bought Woodlawn, moved there, and in 1912 sold Hancock Hall to his daughter and her husband, Peter Raymond Beasley. The Beasleys again exchanged the homes, as Mrs. Beasley's parents wished to live closer to town; after the deaths of Captain and Mrs. Hancock, the Beasleys came back to Hancock Hall in late 1916. It remains in the family.

Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The Bellevue Stratford, combining as it does the names of two earlier famed hostelries commemorates Philadelphia's tradition of gracious hotels,even as it crowns the career of one of the nation's most popular hotel men, George C. Boldt. His was the classic story of the Horatio Alger-like rise to riches of an immigrant, from waiter and then head waiter at the Philadelphia Club, to manager of New York's fabulous Waldorf-Astoria, and finally millionaire owner of his world class hotel, the Bellevue Stratford. As such the hotel is a monument to America's most cherished 19th century dreams, and to their not infrequent realization.

Riverview Mansion - Burris House - McLaran-Humphreys House, Columbus Mississippi

Riverview was constructed between 1847 and 1851 for Colonel Charles McLaran (1808-91), a native of Baltimore, who migrated to Lowndes County, Mississippi, in the 1840s and became engaged in cotton production. In 1847, he was one of the founders of the First National Bank in Columbus and by 1850 was listed as the second largest landholder in the county. McLaran's name frequently appeared in local newspapers, which urged him to seek the governorship of Mississippi. This he declined, ... having no fondness for either emoltiments or honors of public office. His most prominent contribution, however, remains the construction of Riverview, which attracted considerable interest from contemporaries. To satisfy public curiosity, the Southern Standard of November 12, 1852, carried a lengthly description of the mansion and of a great festive entertainment which had occurred during the previous week. An architectural evaluation headed the article:
. . . Our townsman. Colonel Charles McLaran, recently had erected on one of the most eligible and beautiful situations within the limits of our city, a splendid and costly brick mansion, the crowning architectural structure among the many stately edifices, private and public, that adorn our city, and delight the eye of the stranger en passant, — and which, in dimensions and external grandeur — internal arrangements, style and exquisit [sic] finish is, probably, superior to anything of the kind to be found in the Southern States. In 1857, McLaran sold Riverview to John Gilmer, owner of the Gilmer Hotel in Columbus and a former state representative. Gilmer, known as an early advocate of the extension of certain civil rights to women, owned the house until 1881, the year of his death. His widow sold the property to a Columbus lawyer, W. W. Humphries, whose decendants retained the title until 1965. Threatened with demolition, the house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Pratt Thomas, prominent local preservationists. Riverview remained rented until 1971, when it became the property of Dr. and Mrs. John Murfee, Jr., who restored the home.

William Ennes House, Old Mine Road, Hainesville New Jersey

William Ennes (b. 1711) was one of the first school teachers in Sussex Couty when he came to the Minisink area in 1738.

Everitt House, Hainesville New Jersey

The Everitt House, said to have been built before 1750, is one of three houses in the Minisink Village area that dates from the eighteenth century.

Westbrook-Bell House, Old Mine Road, Hainesville New Jersey

This house was probably built by Johannes Westbrook, who settled in the Minisink area in 1700 on the basis of the Ulster Cotmty, N.Y., voting records which indicate that he resided and voted in Minisink in 1701. Exactly when he built the house is unclear, but the village of Minisink was surveyed in 1725, and the area appears to have been quite stable by 1730. The Indian deed, then, is probably an effort to legalize ownership well after the land was settled, perhaps as an attempt to foil claims of N.J. Proprietors. This house remained in the Westbrook-Bell family from its construction until 1957. The Bell name was introduced to the house when Clementina Westbrook married Benton Bell.

Tennessee River Railroad Bridge, Florence Alabama

A ferry was in existence at this location in 1832, probably having been licensed by county authorities some time between 1818 and 1832 in accordance with an Alabama Act approved December 12, 1827, which gave county courts such authority.

Point Reyes Lighthouse, Point Reyes Station California

The Point Reyes Light Station was established to warn mariners of local hazards and also to provide an important landmark in setting bearings for San Francisco harbor. Protruding far beyond the rest of the coastline and often shrouded in heavy fog. Point Reyes figures as a dangerous spot on Pacific maritime coastal routes. Congress authorized funds for a lighthouse at Point Reyes as early as 1854. Disputes with local landowners, however, delayed construction until 1870. In the interim, seven major shipwrecks occurred at the point. Construction of the light station proved to be a monumental civil engineering feat. Work began with wagons carrying materials over two miles of steep hills from the landing to the top of the headland. Two terraces had to be carved out of the solid rock cliff, one at 100' above the sea for the fog-signal and the other at 240' for the lighthouse. Point Reyes is and always has been the windiest point on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent. Fourty mph winds are the norm and gusts exceeding 100 mph have been recorded. Weeks of unbroken fog, especially during the summer months, can reduce visibility to 1/2 mile or less. The iron plated lighthouse is bolted to the rock to prevent wind damage. The dwellings that have been built at Point Reyes over the years have been located back from the cliff to minimize wind interference. The lighthouse tower is the only survivor from the original 1870 station. It is a substantial structure built to contain a Fresnel lens (in this case the largest 1st order variety) and its architectural integrity is very nearly complete (including the lens). The structure is very similar to many others built in California at about the same time. Its squat appearance together with its large 1st order lens categorize it with the type of lighthouses built on major headlands in California. This was a building type well suited to California's long, steep, harborless shoreline. In the flatter East, lighthouses tended to be taller and the proliferation of harbors allowed for a smaller harbor marker type of lens. Point Reyes lighthouse is almost a carbon copy of the Cape Mendocino light established in 1868. Both are built of prefabricated iron panels, bolted together at the site. This was a common method of lighthouse construction throughout the country, both in the 19th and early 20th century. It allowed for fabrication at a distant location and permitted an easy and quick assembly once on the site. This would prove especially useful at the more isolated stations such as Point Reyes.

Covered Bridge, Cynthiana Kentucky

An early Order Book in the Harrison County Court House at Cynthiana, Kentucky, records the following: in January, 1807, Samuel McMillain, James Finley, Wm. Stephenson, Wm. Moore and Josephus Perrin, were appointed Commissioners to draft a plan for a Bridge across the South Fork of Licking, opposite the Town of Cynthiana, to fix on the eligible place for said bridge to cross said fork, for the materials of which it shall be made, and to open subscriptions to raise money to defray a part or the whole of the expense of erecting said Bridge.

Palm Beach Building, Newport Kentucky

This industrial building was constructed for the Dueber Watch Case Manufacturing Company in 1883 to house a watch manufacturing business established by local businessman, John C. Dueber. He founded the business in 1873 and for the first few years was located in downtown Cincinnati at the corner of Race and 4th Streets. In 1877, the business was moved to a location in Newport at the southeast corner of of Jefferson and Washington Streets. This location is one block south of the current location. Within a few short years the business expanded at such a rate that an additional facility was required to meet the demand for watches. A new plant, one block north was constructed in 1883. In subsequent years, the business continued to grow and efforts were undertaken to purchase additional land adjacent to this building in order to expand again. These efforts failed because of local opposition. Mr. Dueber felt that his business was not wanted in Newport and in 1888 merged his operation with the Hempden Watch Company of Canton, Ohio. All Newport operations were transferred to Canton. The Standard Carriage Goods Company purchased the building in 1891. This company was incorporated in 1885 and manufactured carriage hardware and leather trimings. In 1897, the company was purchased by a group of investors that included a Mr. Henry Higgins. Mr. Higgins was a superintendent with the carriage company. The new company was called the Higgins Manufacturing Company and continued to make various carriage trimmings. Mr. Higgins was a vice president within the new company. By 1906, the company had begun to phase out of the carriage trim business and venture into the manufacture of metal fly screens. This eventually led to the manufacture of metal screens for doors and windows and weather stripping materials. The company prospered and remained in operation until 1945.

Wise Sanatorium No. 1 - A.C. Wellons Building, Plains Georgia

Plains High School, Plains Georgia

The first Plains school was a two-story frame structure facing Bond Street on the west side of the current school property. Plains citizens raised $1,800 to erect this building which was first opened to students in 1900. Julia Coleman, who would later be cited by Jimmy Carter as one of the major influences in his life, began teaching English at the school in 1912. In the late 1910s, there was an effort throughout Sumter County to consolidate many of the one-teacher school houses into larger, better-equipped schools. At his time, the Mossy Dell School and Planters Academy both merged with the Plains School. With the consolidation came new school buildings in the towns of Union and New Era, and on August 17, 1920, the citizens of Plains followed suit and held a meeting to discuss the construction of a new school building to replace the frame structure on Bond Street. To finance the school, the board of trustees sold $50,000 of 5 percent, 30-year serial bonds. Under the leadership of chairman W.T. Wise, the trustees advertised in the Manufacturer's Record for an architect to build the proposed $50,000 ten-room brick or stucco building. Although the name of the architect is unknown, Plains residents remember that the school was erected by local builder Ernest T. Wellons, the son of Reverend Augustus C. Wellons (who constructed many homes as well as one of the 1913 Wise Hospital building on Main Street). The old frame school suffered from a one-room fire while the new school building was still under construction, and Clarence Dodson remembers his first-grade class being evacuated from the old school and taken directly to the new one to continue classes in the completed section.

Billy Carter Gas Service Station, Plains Georgia

Wise Sanatorium No. 2 - Plains Convalescent Home, Plains Georgia

Shawnee Fire Watch Tower, New Straitsville Ohio

Constructed in 1937, the Shawnee Tower was one of several projects completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Wayne National Forest during the mid to late 1930s. The lookout tower served as a fire observation platform, occupied during the leaf-on and leaf-off periods from the late 1930s until the early 1970s. Initiated for emergency relief aid, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) came into existence in 1933 and grew to be the most popular New Deal program devised by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Between 1933 and 1942, the CCC employed approximately three million young men between the ages of 17 and 25. Selection policy, determined by an Advisory Council, limited enrollment primarily to single men whose families were on public relief rolls, and who were willing to allot $22 to $25 of their monthly $30 wage to their dependents. Averaging over 2,000 camps, the relief program employed anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 workers assigned to projects administered by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture operating on a six month enrollment cycle. Individual work camps, situated on public land throughout most states and territories of the United States, contained facilities built and run by the Army.