Archives Center, National Museum of American History

John W. Garrett Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0171
Creators:
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
Garrett, John W. (John Work), 1820-1884
Dates:
1850-1880
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Cubic feet
2 boxes
Repository:
Collection is now part of AC1086, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Records.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Includes lists of rail accidents, production and distribution of locomotives, and engine repair costs; reports on locomotive power, cost and performance, and purchases of locomotives and cars; and correspondence relating to these and other matters, all 1850-1880. Most correspondence is to Garrett from railroad supervisory staff. Includes a history of the operation of the railroad during the Civil War and additional correspondence concerning Ohio River bridges, trestles, and tunnels.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Chronological arrangement.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 1858-1884, was born in Baltimore, Maryland July 31, 1820. After working for his father's financially successful commission business, during which time he invested heavily in the B. & O. Railroad, he was elected a director in 1855 and president in 1858. Under his leadership the railroad made history during the Civil War by carrying out the first military rail transport. During peacetime the railroad prospered with Garrett as president. He died September 26, 1884.

Administration

Author
Robert S. Harding
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Gift of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. through Lawrence W. Sagle, Public Relations Representative, in 1997.
Custodial History
Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Transportation (now Division of Work and Industry).
Processing Information
Collection processed by Robert Harding, 1985

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
John W. Garrett Collection, 1850-1880, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection has been combined with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Collection (NMAH.AC.1086)
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
Business records -- 19th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Baltimore (Md.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ohio River Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repairing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads -- Buildings and structures Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Corporate 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