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Joseph Henry's Letter to Barton Stone Alexander (February 27, 1869)

Catalog Data

Author:
Henry, Joseph 1797-1878  Search this
Joseph Henry Papers Project  Search this
Subject:
Alexander, B. S (Barton Stone) 1819-1878  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
United States Army Corps of Engineers  Search this
Meteorological Project  Search this
Physical description:
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
Contact information:
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
Topic:
Secretaries  Search this
Earthquakes  Search this
Engineers  Search this
Building  Search this
San Francisco, California  Search this
Letters  Search this
Structural engineering  Search this
Meteorology  Search this
Standard number:
SIA2011-2812 and SIA2011-2813 and SIA2011-2814 and SIA2011-2815
Restrictions & Rights:
No restrictions
Data Source:
Smithsonian Archives - History Div
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sic_13067