Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Charles T. Main, Inc. Photographs

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1053
Creators:
Main, Charles T., Inc.
Dates:
1910-1953
bulk 1910
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.3 Cubic feet
2 boxes
Repository:
Collection contains photographs of factories, mills, and other projects undertaken by Charles T. Main Inc.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
This collection contains photographs of factories, mills, and other projects undertaken by Charles T. Main Inc., Boston civil and plant engineers.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is arranged into one series by project.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Chas. T. Main, Inc. was a Boston engineering company founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Charles T. Main in 1893. Main was a mechanical engineer working in the textile mills of New England and a major developer in the new field of hydroelectric power. He also served as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' President from 1918-1919. In 1926, the company was incorporated as Chas. T. Main, Inc. Main and his associates decided that all stock would be privately owned by senior engineers so that the company was free of outside influence and only those who knew the industry best would make decisions. By the 1950s, Chas. T. Main Inc. consulted or worked internationally on projects, including building a hydro-electric plant in Turkey and developing a plan to unify development of the water resources of the Jordan River Valley for its surrounding countries, Jordan, Syria, and Israel. Domestically, Chas. T. Main, Inc. began an association with the Atomic Energy Commission in 1949 and was responsible for supporting plutonium production reactors facilities, water treatment plants, and reactor coolant activities, among other nuclear projects. In 1956, a rock slide in the Niagara River New York destroyed two-thirds of the Niagara power capacity. Chas. T. Main, Inc. was contracted to create a power plant to compensate for the loss of power and save the area's economy. In the late 1980s, suffering management problems, the company was bought by Parsons Corporation of Pasadena, California. In 1992, the company's name was changed to Parsons Main, Inc., located in Canton, Massachusetts as a subsidiary of Parsons Corporation.
Source
Northeastern University, Archives and Special Collections

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collection donated by Charles T. Main, Inc. through R.X. Oliveri, circa 1962.
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from Division of Work and Industry to the Archives Center in 2007.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2018.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on 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.
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
Charles T. Main Photograph Collection, ca. 1908-1910, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Related Materials
Materials at Other Organizations
Northeastern University, Archives and Special Collections
Chas. T. Main, Inc. records, 1975-[1977+]

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- 1900-1910 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mills and mill-work Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Factories Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil engineers 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
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry 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