Number of Images: 4 ; Color: Black and White ; Size: 7.00w x 10.00h ; Type of Image: Document ; Medium: Paper
Type:
Document
Paper
Date:
February 27, 1869
Category:
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Notes:
4 pages scanned from the edited transcript of the original version and notes in the Joseph Henry Papers Volume 11, pages 228-231 (Document 112).
Summary:
Letter from Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to Barton Stone Alexander, an army engineer who had overseen the completion of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or "Castle," in 1855. In the letter written on February 27, 1869, Henry discusses building techniques that would benefit architecture in San Francisco, California, which often experiences earthquakes. After he was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Joseph Henry's first major project was to create the Smithsonian Meteorological Project by using a countrywide network of voluntary observers to record climate information, including data about earthquakes, and send it to the Smithsonian via the growing telegraph network. The Smithsonian Meteorological Project existed from 1846-1870 and led to the founding of the National Weather Service.
Contained within:
Rothenberg, Marc, et al, eds., The Papers of Joseph Henry, Volume 11, The Smithsonian Years: January 1866-May 1878 (Smithsonian Institution in association with Science History Publications/USA, 2007), 228-231