Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the James A. Millholland Collection, 1866-1899

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0163
Creators:
Millholland, James A., Jr. , 1824-1893
Dates:
1866-1899
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.3 Cubic feet
1 box
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection is divided into five series. The first series consists of biographical material, including notebooks 1866; 1873; 1882; 1886; correspondence, 1867‑1899, both from and to James A. Millholland regarding a trip to England and purchase and shipment of railroad rails; the photographic series contains portraits of both Millhollands and car interiors, and locomotive shops stereocards of locomotives; blueprints, drawings and templates of rail head sections, wheel flanges, and locomotive tires, 1884‑1905; and newsclippings regarding James Millholland's patents and locomotive engines.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1: Biographical, 1866-1886
Series 2: Correspondence, 1867-1899
Series 3: Photographs, 1865-1869
Series 4, Drawings, 1875-1905
Series 5: News Clippings, undated

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
James A. Millholland (1842-1911) was as a railroad executive, serving as General Manager and later President of the George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland.
James A. Millholland's father, James Millholland (1812‑1875), railway master mechanic, is particularly well known for his invention of many railway mechanisms. His association with the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company as master machinist spanned fifty years in the early development of the American railroad. The senior Millholland's inventions and contributions include the cast-iron crank axle, wooden spring, plate girder bridge, poppet throttle, anthracite firebox, water grate, drop frame, and steel tires. He was also an early user and advocate of the superheater, the feedwater heater, and the injector. Several of his innovations were adopted as standard practice by the railroad industry. For further information see: (White, John H. "James Millholland and Early Railroad Engineering". Contributions From the Museum of History and Technology 252 (1968): 3‑36.)

Administration

Author
Robert S. Harding.
Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Transportation (now the Division of Work and Industry) on July 3, 1985.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Robert Harding, July 1985
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
James A. Millholland Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Correspondence -- 1930-1950 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads -- 1860-1900 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroad mechanisms -- 1866-1899 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Notebooks -- 1850-1900 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad (Cumberland, Md.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Millholland, James A., Sr., 1812-1875 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu