Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to John A. Beemer Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0957
Creators:
Beemer , John A., 1879-
Dates:
1907-1956
bulk 1919-1931
Languages:
Collection is in
English
. Some materials in
Russian
.
Physical Description:
3 Cubic feet
4 boxes; 3 oversize folders
Repository:
Papers document Beemer's engineering activities as a civil engineer who worked on irrigation and dam related projects.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Papers document Beemer's engineering activities. Includes correspondence, reports, plans, drawings, blueprints, and specifications concerning reclamation and irrigation dams in the Philippines, 1913-1918; Idaho, 1916-1917, 1941-1943; California, 1921-1926; the Soviet Union, 1929-1931; Wyoming, 1935-1938; and Utah, 1938-1941. Also includes data on metal gates, lifts, weirs, rating flumes, and gauging stations; and employment records for Beemer.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into three series.
Series 1: Professional Materials. 1907-1956
Series 2: Projects, 1910-1948
Series 3: Miscellaneous, 1915-1946

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
John Arthur Beemer (b. 1879) was born in Fincastle, Virginia. He earned a B.S. in Engineering from the Case School of Applied Science (now known as Case Western Reserve) in 1907.
Beemer, a civil engineer, joined the United States Reclamation Service of the Department of the Interior as a junior engineer in 1907. He worked for the Department until 1913, and again from 1933-1943, on a number of reclamation and irrigation dam projects. Between 1913 and 1933, Beemer worked as an engineer for the Philippines government, 1913-1916; consulting engineer in Idaho, 1916-1917; captain in the Army Engineer Corps, 1917-1918; engineer for the U.S. Indian Service, 1918-1921; engineer for projects in Nevada and California, 1921-1929; and as a consulting engineer for the Russian government, 1929-1931.

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Centerfrom Division of Work and Industry, 2006.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2016.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
John A. Beemer Papers, 1907-1955, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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
Dams Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Soviet Union Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- California Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil engineering Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- Wyoming Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Irrigation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- Idaho Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- Utah Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public works Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering 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
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu