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1860-1869

Ashuelot Covered Bridge
Main Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 186520 Hampshire Ct, , NH AshuelotState: NHZip: 03441Country: USA

The Ashuelot Covered Bridge is located at the center of Ashuelot, NH. It is a Town lattice truss bridge, spanning the Ashuelot River in a roughly north-south orientation. It consists of two spans with a total length of 178 feet (54 m). The total width of the bridge is 29 feet (8.8 m), and has a central roadway and sidewalks (measuring 3'10" in width) on each side. The bridge rests on stone abutments and a central pier. The abutments have been reinforced with concrete since the bridge was built, and the central pier has been protected by a metal breakwater.

Image Credit: Edwin S. Grosvenor
Hunley submarine
Society: ASMMain Category: ManufacturingSub Category: Materials Handling & ExtractionEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 2007CharlestonState: SCCountry: USAWebsite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_(submarine)Creator: Hunley, H.L.

In the context of naval warfare, H.L. Hunley changed the world.  Its builders' innovative use of materials, design and manufacturing techniques resulted in the world's first successful attack submarine.

YearAdded:
2007
Image Credit: Edwin GrosvenorEra_date_from: 1860

Most great monuments of nineteenth-century American engineering, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, dominate the surrounding landscape. By contrast, the Hoosac Tunnel, dug through a mountain in western Massachusetts, is inconspicuous, as tunnels naturally are. Yet it stands in the front rank of the projects of its age by whatever standards of measurement one chooses. On the one hand, its construction, which began in 1851 and ended in 1875, took almost two hundred lives, damaged many reputations, and nearly claimed the solvency of the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Society: IEEEMain Category: ElectricEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1866County KerryCountry: IrelandWebsite: http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:County_Kerry_Transatlantic_Cable_Stations,_1866
The discoveries of electricity in the latter half of the 18th Century, and its close connection with magnetism, were the products of earlier experiments, which in turn led to the invention of the electric telegraph. Telegraphy had connected the interior of the United States, and it also connected Europe together. However, connecting the Americas and Europe proved to be a challenge. Due to the electric current that ran through the cable lines, insulation and waterproofing was necessary.
YearAdded:
2000
Image Credit: Courtesy IEEEImage Caption: The County Kerry Cable StationsEra_date_from: 1866
Joining of the Rails - Transcontinental Railroad
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Rail TransportationEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1869Golden Spike RdPromontoryState: UTZip: 84307Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/joining-of-the-rails--transcontinental-rr/Creator: Union Pacific Railroad, Central Pacific Railroad

"May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world."  
- Inscription on the ceremonial Golden Spike 

The symbolic Golden Spike, staked in Promontory, Utah in 1869, marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, joining the Union Pacific Railroad from the East and the Central Pacific Railroad from the west. 

Image Credit: Courtesy of the National Park ServiceImage Caption: A crowd of 1,500 assembled in Promontory for the ceremony to join the rails and, symbolically, the nation.Era_date_from: 1869
Chesbrough's Water Supply System
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1864-1869ChicagoState: ILZip: 60604Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/chesbrough-s-chicago-water-supply-system/Creator: Chesbrough, Ellis

Constructed to provide a safe, potable water supply for the citizens of Chicago, Ellis Chesbrough's Chicago Water Supply System was the first major system to utilize offshore intake systems. The system includes the landmark Chicago Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station. Its subaqueous tunnel was a pioneering effort in American civil engineering.

YearAdded:
1972
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/WickdrewImage Caption: Ellis Chesbrough's Chicago Water Supply System was the first major system to utilize offshore intake systems.Era_date_from: 1864
Watkins Woolen Mill
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: ManufacturingEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1868Watkins Woolen Mill State ParkKearneyState: MOZip: 64060Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/manufacturing---1/-43-watkins-woolen-mill-%281868%29, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/705d5611-da21-47b3-b584-1e33e1c0b9df/43-Watkins-Woolen-Mill.aspxCreator: Watkins, Waltus

The Watkins Woolen Mill is among the best preserved examples of a Midwest woolen mill in nineteenth-century United States. Its machinery for preparing, spinning, and weaving wool reflects the existence of well-established textile industry in the country. It was designed and built by Waltus L. Watkins (1806-1884), a machinist and master weaver from Frankfort, Kentucky, who began operating his mill in 1861 in Clay County.

YearAdded:
1980
Image Credit: Public Domain (National Park Service)Image Caption: Watkins Woolen MillEra_date_from: 1868
USS Cairo Engine and Boilers
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Water TransportationEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1862 National BattlefieldVicksburgState: MSZip: 39183Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/water-transportation/-143-uss-cairo-engine-and-boilers-%281862%29Creator: Pook, Samuel , Eads, James

The Cairo is the sole survivor of the fleet of river gunboats built by the Union during the Civil War with the object of controlling the lower Mississippi River. Designed by Samuel Pook and built by James B. Eads, it saw limited battle and was sunk on the Yazoo River in 1862 by newly developed electronically detonated mines, becoming the first craft ever sunk by this predecessor to torpedo technology. The 175-foot ironclad vessel had 13 guns.

Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/James Case (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: USS Cairo Engine and BoilersEra_date_from: 1862
Bollman Truss Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Bridges, TransportationEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1869Little Patuxent RiverSavageState: MDCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Bollman-Truss-Bridge/Creator: Bollman, Wendel

The design of the Bollman Truss Bridge-patented in 1852 and one of the first to use iron exclusively in all essential structural elements-was critical in the rapid expansion of American railroads in the 19th century. Replacing wooden bridges, which  were cumbersome to build and vulnerable to decay, the Bollman Truss Bridge could be built relatively quickly and inexpensively, while providing the long-lasting qualities associated with metal. This allowed new rail lines to be built over long distances in a short period of time.

YearAdded:
1966
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Andrew Bossi (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Bollman Truss Bridge as it looks today, after the repairs done in 1934-84.Era_date_from: 1869
Central Pacific Railroad
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Roads & RailsEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1863-1869Western AmericaOgdenState: UTCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/central-pacific-railroad/Creator: Judah, Theodore , Crocker, Charles

Central Pacific Railroad served as the Western terminus of America's first transcontinental railroad, passing through the formidable Sierra Nevada Mountains. In all, 15 tunnels were blasted through solid granite. 

Thousands of Chinese from Kwantung Province were recruited by Central Pacific Railroad Company and became known for their diligence and hard work. In the second year of construction, nine out of ten workers on the CPRR were Chinese.

YearAdded:
1968
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Jim Bowen (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Central Pacific RailroadEra_date_from: 1863
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Innovations

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Cornish - Windsor Covered Bridge

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Central Pacific Railroad

Central Pacific Railroad served as the Western terminus of America's first transcontinental railroad, passing through the formidable Sierra Nevada Mountains. In all, 15 tunnels were blasted through solid granite. 

Thousands of Chinese from Kwantung Province were recruited by Central…

Read More
Bollman Truss Bridge

The design of the Bollman Truss Bridge-patented in 1852 and one of the first to use iron exclusively in all essential structural elements-was critical in the rapid expansion of American railroads in the 19th century. Replacing wooden bridges, which  were cumbersome to build and vulnerable to…

Read More
USS Cairo Engine and Boilers

The Cairo is the sole survivor of the fleet of river gunboats built by the Union during the Civil War with the object of controlling the lower Mississippi River. Designed by Samuel Pook and built by James B. Eads, it saw limited battle and was sunk on the Yazoo River in 1862 by newly developed…

Read More
Watkins Woolen Mill

The Watkins Woolen Mill is among the best preserved examples of a Midwest woolen mill in nineteenth-century United States. Its machinery for preparing, spinning, and weaving wool reflects the existence of well-established textile industry in the country. It was designed and built by Waltus L.…

Read More
Chesbrough's Water Supply System

Constructed to provide a safe, potable water supply for the citizens of Chicago, Ellis Chesbrough's Chicago Water Supply System was the first major system to utilize offshore intake systems. The system includes the landmark Chicago Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station. Its…

Read More
Joining of the Rails - Transcontinental Railroad

"May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world."  
- Inscription on the ceremonial Golden Spike 

The symbolic Golden Spike, staked in Promontory, Utah in 1869, marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad,…

Read More

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