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1800-1829

Russell Sage Laboratory
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: EducationEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1824Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroyState: NYCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute/

Amos Eaton and Stephen Van Rensselaer founded the Rensselaer School for "the application of science to the common purposes of life" in 1824. Eaton had practiced surveying as a teenager building his own compass and chain and wrote an early book on surveying. Later he studied law before becoming interested in geology and agriculture. Stephen Van Rensselaer was the seventh patroon of Rensselaerwyck a track of land comprising most of the current Rensselaer, Albany and Columbia Counties in the State of New York.

Image Caption: Russell Sage Laboratory, Front View, 1909-
Hydraulic-Inclined Plane System of the Morris Canal
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Water Supply & ControlEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1824-1836Phillipsburg to Newark BayState: NJCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/hydraulic-powered-inclined-plane-system-of-the-morris-canal/

Morris Canal was built to transport coal from the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania to industrial markets in Newark and New York. The total length of the canal was 106 miles. The canal climbed an astonishing 914 feet from Newark Bay to the summit at Lake Hopatcong, and then dropped 760 feet to the Delaware River at Phillipsburg. This gave the canal an average vertical slope of 18 feet per mile, steep compared to the contemporary Erie Canal's relatively gentle slope of one foot per mile.  

YearAdded:
1979
Image Credit: Courtesy ASCEImage Caption: The Hydraulic-Inclined Plane System gave the Morris Canal an average vertical slope of 18 feet per mile. Era_date_from: 1824
Granite Railway
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Rail TransportationEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1826Quincy and MiltonState: MAZip: 02169Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Granite-Railway/Creator: Bryant, Gridley

The Granite Railway Company of Quincy was the first commercial railway in the United States. Incorporated in 1826 and designed by Gridley Bryant, the railway relied on horses, rather than steam locomotives, to draw the cars along the tracks. Its primary purpose was to transport granite from Quincy to build the Bunker Hill Monument. 

YearAdded:
1975
Image Credit: Courtesy Library of CongressImage Caption: The Granite Railway Company of Quincy was the first commercial railway in the United States.Era_date_from: 1826
Ohio Canal System
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Water TransportationEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1825N/AState: OHCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Ohio-Canal-System/Creator: Ohio, State of

Between 1825 and 1847 the State of Ohio constructed 1,000 miles of canals and feeder canals, 33,000 acres of reservoir surface area, 29 dams across streams, 294 lift locks, 44 aqueducts and many smaller structures at a cost of about 16 million dollars. The network of navigable canals provided a system of economical transportation where none had previously existed; the young state, with its isolated frontier lifestyle, was transformed almost overnight into a thriving segment of the nation's economy.

YearAdded:
1983
Image Credit: Courtesy WikipediaImage Caption: A part of the Ohio Canal System in 1902.Era_date_from: 1825
Wilkinson Mill
Society: SME (manufacturing)Main Category: ManufacturingSub Category: ManufacturingEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 181067 Roosevelt AvenuePawtucketState: RIZip: 02860Country: USAWebsite: http://www.sme.org/Creator: Wilkinson, David , Wilkinson, Oziel

The Wilkinson Mill, situated on the west bank of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, was built between 1810 and 1811 by machinist Oziel Wilkinson. Constructed in stone rubble, three and one-half stories high, the mill played a critical role in the history of textile technology, in steam power generation, and in the development of the machine tools industry. The Wilkinson family came to Pawtucket in the 1780s and set up a shop to forge anchors, build presses for oil works, and mold iron screws used in paper pressing machinery.

YearAdded:
1977
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/H.C. Williams (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Wilkinson MillEra_date_from: 1810
Wilkinson Mill
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: ManufacturingEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 181067 Roosevelt AvenuePawtucketState: RIZip: 02860Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/30-wilkinson-mill, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/30a934f4-2025-47f2-ae87-760d94fe33d3/30-Wilkinson-Mill.aspxCreator: Wilkinson, David , Wilkinson, Oziel

The Wilkinson Mill, situated on the west bank of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, was built between 1810 and 1811 by machinist Oziel Wilkinson. Constructed in stone rubble, three and one-half stories high, the mill played a critical role in the history of textile technology, in steam power generation, and in the development of the machine tools industry.

 

YearAdded:
1977
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/H.C. Williams (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Wilkinson MillEra_date_from: 1810
Union Canal Tunnel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: TunnelsEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1828Union CanalLebanonState: PACountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Union-Canal-Tunnel/Creator: Ives, John

According to oral history, George Washington visited the canal diggings in 1792, and then again in 1794, while he was accompanying troops to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. 

YearAdded:
1970
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ospreye (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Union Canal TunnelEra_date_from: 1828
Menai Suspension Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1826Menai BridgeIsle of AngleseyState: WalesCountry: UKWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Menai-Suspension-Bridge/Creator: Telford, Thomas , Hazledine, William

Built between 1819 and 1826, the Menai Bridge was the major structure on Britain's strategically important Holyhead Road connecting London with Holyhead and by sea to Ireland. Designed by Thomas Telford, the bridge's main span was 579 feet from tower to tower, the longest that had ever been attempted at this time. He used four sets wrought-iron eyebars to suspend the deck. These were made by William Hazledine at his Upton forge near Shrewsbury. Each bar was carefully tested in his Coleham shops before being pinned together and lifted into place.

YearAdded:
2002
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ingy the Wingy (CC BY-ND 2.0)Image Caption: Menai Suspension BridgeEra_date_from: 1826
Caledonian Canal
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Water TransportationEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1804-1822InvernessCountry: ScotlandWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Caledonian-Canal/Creator: Telford, Thomas , Jessop, William

Traversing the Great Glen of the Scottish Highlands for 60 miles the Caledonian Canal connects the North Sea by Beauly and Moray Firth on the east coast with the Irish Sea by Lochs Linnhe and Eil on the west.  Thirty eight miles of the canal pass through freshwater lochs Douchfour, Ness, Oich and Lochy with the remaining 22 miles formed by earth cutting.  Initially 28 locks, and later 29, were required to reach the summit elevation of 106 feet at Loch Oich.  

YearAdded:
2007
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Dave Conner (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Caledonian CanalEra_date_from: 1804
Samson Mine Reversible Waterwheel & Man Engine
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Minerals Extraction & RefiningEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1824Samson PitSankt AndreasbergState: Lower SaxonyCountry: GermanyWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/minerals-extraction-and-refining/-118-samson-mine-reversible-waterwheel---man-engin, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/ee57310a-3df7-4e67-8ed6-d54357184890/118_Samson_Mine_Reversible_Waterwheel_Man_Engin.aspx

This silver mine preserves two features of bygone practice. One is the reversible waterwheel of the ore-hoist, which originally was installed in 1565 and currently dates back to 1824. The present wheel is 9 meters in diameter and reaches a depth of 700 meters.

YearAdded:
1987
Image Credit: Public Domain (Author's Choice)Image Caption: Samson Mine Reversible Waterwheel & Man EngineEra_date_from: 1824
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Innovations

Lowell Waterpower System

Much of the sophisticated system of canals, dams, gates, and tunnels built to manage water power in 19th-century Lowell is preserved today as the basis of the Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Heritage State Park. Pictured above is the Boott Penstock, an early channel adjacent to…

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Reuleaux Collection of Kinematic Mechanisms

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Montgomery Bell's Tunnel

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The Harpeth River makes a tight bend around a steep limestone ridge, losing 17…

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Founded by Eleuthère Irénéé du Pont (1771-1834), the Brandywine River Mills became the largest maker of explosive black powder in the United States. That success resulted directly from the firm's pioneering use of gunpowder processing machinery driven by water wheels and water turbines. Divided… Read More
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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Carrollton Viaduct

The Carrollton Viaduct over Gwynn's Falls was the first masonry railroad viaduct constructed in the United States. This structure proved the feasibility of using a viaduct to transport railway vehicles across wide and deep valleys.

The concept for the viaduct came from international…

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Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal is the only canal built in 19th-century America that still operates today as a major shipping route. Connecting the Port of Baltimore and Upper Chesapeake Bay with the mouth of the Delaware River and the Port of Philadelphia, the canal was one of the first…

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Colvin Run Mill is an early 19th century operating gristmill, closely modeled on the principles developed by Oliver Evans (1755-1819). Powered by a waterwheel, the restored mill was probably built on or after 1811 on the site of an older mill. Originally, the site was the property of George… Read More
Conwy Suspension Bridge

When a new road bridge was constructed alongside it, plans were made to demolish the Conwy Suspension Bridge. There was a national outcry and, since 1958, the bridge has been in the care of the National Trust and closed to vehicular traffic.

Designed by Thomas Telford in the gothic…

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Craigellachie Bridge

This elegant cast iron arch bridge designed by Scotland's famous Thomas Telford was built from 1812 to 1814.  It is the earliest surviving example of a portable lattice-braced standard type that Telford developed for use at wide and deep water crossing sites unsuitable for masonry spans.  …

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Dismal Swamp Canal

The Dismal Swamp Canal was created as a 22-mile waterway, extending from Deep Creek, Virginia to South Mills, North Carolina. The canal enabled North Carolina producers of building and agricultural products to deliver goods to the Port of Norfolk where they were transferred to ocean-going…

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Erie Canal

In its day, the famous Erie Canal was the world's longest canal and America's greatest engineering feat. It was the principal route for emigrants from the East and agricultural products from the West. Before construction of the canal, New York City was the nation's fifth largest seaport, behind…

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Fairmount Water Works

At a time when steam power was finding its first uses in America, Philadelphia opened two steam pumping stations, January 1801, to lift water from the Schuylkill River and distribute it through the city's wooden pipes and mains. By 1811 a new water power works was begun on the river near Morris…

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Gota Canal

The Gota Canal is the biggest infrastructure project ever built in Sweden. The canal was dug by hand with shovels made of wood. It took over 22 years of 12-hour days - an estimated 12 million man-days of labor - to complete the project.  

The Gota (pronounced yeu-ta) Canal is a 347-…

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Cranetown Triangulation Site

The precise system of measurements provided today by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey originated with an act of Congress under the administration of Thomas Jefferson in 1807 that funded work on "an accurate chart" of America's coastal waters. Intended to aid sea-going commerce, the first…

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This facility was typical of others in the country that made small spherical lead shot for the fowling pieces of frontier settlers. Smelted lead from the nearby Austinville mines was melted at the top of the tower and poured through a sizing sieve to produce small droplets. Surface tension caused… Read More
Middlesex Canal

While the Erie Canal  has become well-known in the annals of American history, the Middlesex Canal, built two decades earlier and a model for canal engineers throughout young America, has only recently become recognized for its important achievements. Extending 27 miles northeast from Boston…

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United States Military Academy

In 1794, Congress authorized and President Thomas Jefferson signed into law the raising of a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers (now the United States Army Corps of Engineers) to be educated and stationed at the newly created United States Military Academy. The U.S. Military Academy was the…

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This furnace was the focal point of a pre-Industrial Revolution industry town, one of hundreds of furnaces that thrived and failed in the 19th century. The Maryland Iron Company (incorporated 1828) built this furnace along the Nassawango Creek roughly four miles northwest of the Pocomoke River to… Read More
National Road

The National Road was the first interstate highway in the United States, and the first roadway to be financed with federal money. Authorized by Congress during the administration of Thomas Jefferson in 1806, the road was built over time and in sections from Cumberland, Maryland, westward through…

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