Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Montgomery C. Meigs Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0984
Creators:
Meigs, Montgomery C., 1816-1892
Russell, Andrew J., 1829-1902
Dates:
1870 - 1890
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
12.5 Cubic feet
27 boxes
Repository:
The collection documents Mongomery C. Meigs, an Army officer, engineer, architect, and scientist. Meigs's papers include scrapbooks and photographs relating primarily to his work on the Pension Building and the Washington Aqueduct in Washington, D.C. but also his interest in politics, military affairs, construction, Native Americans, inventions, real estate, and financial matters.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection documents, Mongomery C. Meigs, an Army officer, engineer, architect, and scientist. Meigs's papers include scrapbooks and photographs relating primarily to his work on the Pension Building in Washington, D.C., an extension to the Post Office Building, the Washington Aqueduct, Cabin John Bridge, and the dome of the United States Capitol. The scrapbooks reflect Meigs's interests in politics, military affairs, construction, Native Americans, inventions and technology, real estate, and financial matters.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1870-1890
Series 2: Photographs, 1850-1885

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
1816, May 3, Born, Augusta, Georgia
1832, Entered United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
1837, Second lieutenant, Corps of Engineers. Surveyed Upper Mississippi River
1838, Survey engineering work, Delaware River
1839, Duty at army headquarters, Washington, D.C.
1841, Married Louisa Rodgers (died 1879)
1843-1852, Stationed in Detroit, Michigan, until return to permanent duty in Washington, D.C.
1852, Supervised construction of the Washington aqueduct for Great Falls, Virginia and various United States Capitol improvements, including a new and larger dome
1861, June Appointed Quartermaster General, United States Army
1865, April 15, Present at the death of Abraham Lincoln
1867, Postwar illness and trip to Europe
1882, Retired from the United States Army. Began engineering work on the Pension Office Building, Washington, D.C.
1892, January 2, Died, Washington, D.C.
*Biographical Chronology courtesy the Library of Congress, Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, 1799-1892 (bulk 1849-1892)

Administration

Author
Kyle Windahl.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Parts of the collection were donated by Dr. Paul L. Smith on January 8, 1971 and Mr. and Mrs. Mayo S. Stuntz on March 8, 1974. Other sources are unknown.
Custodial History
The book of drawings was donated to the National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History), Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (now Division of Work and Industry), in 1971 by Dr. Paul L. Smith. The 1974 addendum was donated to the National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History), Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, in 1975 by Mr. and Mrs. Mayo S. Stuntz. It had originally belonged to William R. Hutton. The 1975, 1994, and 2007 addenda were collected by the Division of Engineering and Industry (now called the Division of Work and Industry), National Museum of American History, but the original sources of these collections are unknown. All elements of the collection were transferred to the Archives Center in 2007.
Processing Information
Series 1: Scrapbooks, was partially processed by Kyle Windahl, intern, April 2012, supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, 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.

Related Materials
Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
William R. Hutton Papers (AC0987)
Materials at the National Museum of American History
Several curatorial divisions hold material culture related to Montgomery C. Meigs and include:
Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life)
Armed Forces History (Division of Political and Military History)
Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life)
Division of Medicine and Science
Division of Work and Industry
Materials at Other Organizations
Library of Congress, Manuscript Division
Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, 1799-1892 (bulk 1849-1892)
Army officer, engineer, architect, and scientist. Correspondence, diaries and journals, notebooks, family papers, military papers, drawings and plans, scrapbooks, and other papers relating primarily to Meigs's work in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, his service as Quartermaster General during the Civil War, and family matters.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Bridges -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architecture -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil engineering Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Georgia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
West Point (N.Y.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architects Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington (D.C.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tunnels Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reservoirs -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water-supply Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington Aqueduct Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineering Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architecture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hydraulic structures Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings -- 19th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Albums Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings -- 1850-1900 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 19th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pension Building Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Post Office Building (Washington, D.C.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
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