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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to Nordberg Manufacturing Company Collection
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.0975
- Creators:
-
Nordberg Manufacturing Company
- Dates:
-
1891-1947
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
45 Cubic feet58 boxes, 110 map-folders
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of the company's photo and negative archives; miscellaneous trade publications; G. Turnwald notebooks; technical memoranda; trade literature; operating manuals; parts books; Nordberg company history; machinery proposals; order books; time records; Chain Belt Company catalogs; and blueprints used in the shops.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into ten series.
Series 1: Background Materials, 1912-1957
Series 2: Catalogs/Bulletins, 1891-1972
Series 3: Sales/Order Materials, 1891-1971
Series 4: Advertising Materials, 1911-1955
Series 5: Operating Manuals and Instructions, 1917-1964
Series 6: Technical Memorandum, 1919-1969
Series 7: Turnwald Notebooks, 1928-1942
Series 8: Trade Literature, 1912-1974
Series 9, Photographs, undated
Series 10: Drawings, 1884-1979
Historical
Historical
The Nordberg Manufacturing Company, founded in 1890 by Bruno V. Nordberg, manufactured steam engines (later diesel engines) and precision built heavy machinery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company later added Poppet valve steam engines, oil engines, railway track maintenance machinery, crushers, machinery for processing ore, mine hoists, blowing engines, condensers, steam pumping engines, and Corliss engines for every type of power service. Nordberg was a leading manufacturer of marine diesel engines and supplied engines for many of the American merchant marine ships.
In 1895, the company elected Jacob Friend as its first president. From 1912-1924, Bruno Nordberg served as president, and in 1924, Robert Friend, son of Jacob Friend, became president. The company purchased the Busch-Sulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Company of St. Louis in 1946, merging two of the largest diesel engine manufacturers.
Administration
Author
Alison Oswald
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred from Division of Work and Industry to the Archives Center, 2006.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Accruals
Additional collection materials donated in 1979 by Rexnord, Inc., through D. Taylor, president; in 1984 by Rexnord, Inc., through Richard R. Bains, manager, Communications and Training; and in 1995, drawings for the Lakeview Pumping Station in Chicago by Frank Bieberdick.
Separated Materials
The Division of Work and Industry holds related Nordberg Manufacturing Company objects that include a builders plate and calipers. See Accession #1984.0243.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2017.
Using the Collection
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
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.
Preferred Citation
Nordberg Manufacturing Company Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Related Materials at the National Museum of American History
Related Materials at the National Museum of American History
Division of Work and Industry
The Division holds a photograph of the Nordberg diesel type oil engine at the Central Station Burro Mountain Copper Company Power House. Related artifacts include a builders plate and calipers. See Accession #: 1984.0243
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Trade Literature Collection
The libraries hold trade literature relating to Nordberg Manufacturing Company, Chain Belt Company, Rexnord, Inc.
Michigan Technological University, J.R. VanPelt and Opie Library
Nordberg Manufacturing Company Engineering Blueprints Collection, circa 1890-circa 1946
220.0 cubic ft.
Blueprints, circa 1890-circa 1946, of the Nordberg Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Includes blueprints of valve engines, pumps, hoists, compressors, and similar equipment, much of which was used by mining companies in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Wisconsin Historical Society Library and Archives
Nordberg Manufacturing Company photographs, circa 1910-1970s
182 photographs and 4.0. c.f. of negatives (10 archives boxes).
Photographs and negatives, circa 1910-1970s, related to the Nordberg Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Images include views of heavy machinery used in the manufacture of mine hoisting engines and aerial views of the manufacturing company. The collection also includes an album of photographs made in the manufacturing plant of the company of Corliss and Poppett valve steam engines.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy machinery | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Diesel engines | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Notebooks | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Steam-engines | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Trade catalogs | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass -- 19th-20th century | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Marine engines | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Milwaukee (Wis.) | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Blueprints | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Chain Belt Company | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Nordberg, Bruno V. | 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
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu
