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Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company photographs and other materials

Donor:
Bethlehem Steel Corporation  Search this
Manufacturer:
Consolidation Coal Company  Search this
Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company  Search this
Extent:
23 Cubic feet (99 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Photograph albums
Window displays
Date:
1885-1940s
Summary:
The collection documents the building, operation and daily life of coal mining communities in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio between 1911 and 1946. The collection is a valuable for the study of mining technology and the social conditions of the time period and regions.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists mostly of photographs depicting Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company mines and mining towns in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Subjects include worker housing, schools for miners' children, gardens, churches, recreational facilities, health services, company stores, safety, mining machinery, construction of mines and related structures, and the interiors of mines.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1904-1933

Series 2: Photographs, 1885-1940s

Subseries 2.1: Photograph Albums, 1885-1932

Subseries 2.2: West Virginia Division, 19091-1917

Subseries 2.3: Glass Plate and Film Negatives, 1911-1940s

Subseries 2.4: Numbered Photographs, 1911-1930

Subseries 2.5: Miscellaneous, 1913, 1916
Historical Note:
The Consolidation Coal Company was started in 1864 to mine bituminous coal deposits in Maryland's Cumberland region. it expanded by acquiring other mine companies as well as rail and other transportation companies. It went into receivership in 1932. The Pittsburgh Coal Company, founded in 1900, took over the firm in 1945 and formed the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company.

The Consolidation Coal Company (Maryland)

The Consolidation Coal Company was incorporated in Maryland on March 8, 1860, for the purpose of effecting a merger of a number of coal operators mining the Georges Creek basin in Allegany County, Maryland. Because of the Civil War, during which Confederate armies frequently blocked the region's only outlet to market, the company was not actually organized until April 19, 1864. Starting life as the dominant operator in this small but significant coal field, "Consol" rose to become the nation's top producer of bituminous coal.

The Georges Creek or Cumberland Coal Field, occupying part of the triangle of western Maryland, contained a high-quality, low-volatile bituminous steam coal which was also, thanks to the Potomac River, the coal of this type most accessible to Eastern markets. Coal had been mined in the region beginning in the 1700s, and the first coal company, the Maryland Mining Company, had been incorporated in 1828. However, large-scale development could not occur until the mid-1840s, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Cumberland and provided reliable transportation. This also coincided with the development of ocean steam navigation and a rapid growth in the number of railroad locomotives and stationary steam engines. Cumberland coal was ideal for ship bunkering, and much of the output was shipped to New York Harbor. Naturally, New York capitalists and manufacturers played a leading role in developing the field. Lewis Howell's Maryland and New York Iron and Coal Company rolled the first solid U.S. railroad rail at its Mount Savage mill in 1844. The Consolidation Coal merger was put together by New Yorkers such as William H. Aspinwall, Erastus Corning, the Delanos and Roosevelts, and the Boston financier John Murray Forbes, who already had substantial investments in the region.

Upon its formation, the Consolidation Coal Company acquired the properties of the Ocean Steam Coal Company, the Frostburg Coal Company, and the Mount Savage Iron Company totaling about 11,000 acres. The last named company brought with it control of the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, which connected the mines to the Baltimore & Ohio and later the Pennsylvania and Western Maryland railroads. In 1870, Consol absorbed the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company of 1840, the next largest operator in the field, and gained an additional 7,000 acres. Further purchases from the Delano interests gave it over 80 percent of the entire Cumberland Field.

Soon after its hated rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, gained access to the Cumberland Coal Field, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began purchasing large blocks of Consolidation Coal stock to protect its traffic base in 1875, eventually gaining a 52 percent interest. A B&O slate of directors was elected in February 1877, with Charles F. Mayer of Baltimore as president, and the company offices were moved from New York to Baltimore.

Until the turn of the century, Consolidation Coal's mining operations were confined to the small soft coal region of western Maryland. The company purchased the 12,000 acre Millholland coal tract near Morgantown, W.Va. in 1902 and acquired controlling interests in the Fairmont Coal Company of West Virginia and the Somerset Coal Company of Pennsylvania the following year. These acquisitions boosted Consolidation's annual production more than six-fold in only three years. The company purchased the 25,000 acre Stony Creek tract in Somerset County, Pa., in 1904. The Fairmont Coal Company purchase included a joint interest in the North Western Fuel Company, which owned and operated docks and coal distribution facilities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In 1906, the Interstate Commerce Commission held a formal investigation of rail ownership of coal companies, which resulted in the passage of the Hepburn Act and its "Commodities Clause," which prohibited railroads from dealing in the commodities they hauled. In anticipation of the new regulations, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad sold its entire holdings of Consolidation stock to a Baltimore syndicate headed by Consol president Clarence W. Watson, J. H. Wheelwright and H. Crawford on April 26, 1906. At the time of the B&O's divestiture, the aggregate annual output of Consolidation's mines totaled more than 10 million tons and the company controlled more than 200,000 acres. The John D. Rockefeller interests began purchasing Consol securities in 1915, eventually securing a controlling interest. The company's offices were returned to New York City in May 1921.

After the B&O divestiture, Consol began expanding into the Southern Appalachian coal fields, which were just being opened by railroads on a large scale. The mines in this region yielded a low volatile coal that provided an ideal fuel source for stationary steam engines, ships, and locomotives. Of equal importance, operators in the remote mountains had been able to resist unionization and thus achieve lower operating costs, while all of Consol's previous holdings had been in the so-called "Central Competitive Field" to the north, which had been unionized in the 1890s. Consolidation Coal purchased 30,000 acres in the Millers Creek Field of Eastern Kentucky in 1909 and 100,000 acres in the Elkhorn Field the next year. In February 1922, Consol secured a long term lease and option on the Carter Coal Company, whose 37,000 acres straddled the borders of Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1925, Consol became the nation's largest producer of bituminous coal, excluding the captive mines of the steel companies.

During the Great Depression, Consolidation Coal experienced serious financial difficulties and was forced into receivership on June 2, 1932. The Rockefellers liquidated their holdings at a loss, and the Carter Coal Company was returned to the Carter heirs in 1933. Consol was reorganized and reincorporated in Delaware as the Consolidation Coal Company, Inc. on November 1, 1935, and was able to retain its position as one of the nation's top coal producers. Eventually, stock control passed into the hands of the M.A. Hanna Company group of Cleveland, dealers in coal and iron ore. Although production reached record levels during the Second World War, management feared a recurrence of the collapse that had followed World War I. It also faced the prospect of increased competition from oil and natural gas and the loss of traditional markets such as home heating and locomotive fuel. As a result Consol opened negotiations with another large producer, the Pittsburgh Coal Company, which was the dominant operator in the Pittsburgh District.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company

The Pittsburgh Coal Company was a product of the great industrial merger movement of the late 1890s. In 1899, two large mergers were effected in the Pittsburgh District.

The Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania on October 1, 1899 to merge the properties of over 90 small firms operating mines along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. Some of these operations dated to the early 1800s, and all of them shipped coal down the Ohio-Mississippi River system by barge from close to the mine mouth, or later by the railroads built along the river banks. The combination controlled 40,000 acres of coal land, 100 steam towboats, 4,000 barges, and facilities for handling coal at Cincinnati, Louisville, Vicksburg, Memphis, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company was incorporated in New Jersey as a holding company on September 1, 1899 and acquired the properties of over 80 operators located in the areas back from the river on both sides of the Monongahela south of Pittsburgh. The combination was engineered by some of the most prominent Pittsburgh industrialists, including Andrew W. Mellon, Henry W. Oliver, and Henry Clay Frick. It controlled over 80,000 acres and six collector railroads, the longest of which was the Montour Railroad. Most of its output was shipped by rail, with a large share being transferred to ships on the Great Lakes for distribution throughout the industrial Midwest. The company owned coal docks and yards at Chicago, Cleveland, Duluth, West Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Ashtabula, Fairport and Thornburg. Subsequently, the company expanded in southwestern Pennsylvania and the Hocking Valley of Ohio through the lease of the Shaw Coal Company in 1901 and the purchase of the Midland Coal Company in 1903. Most of the properties were vested in a separate Pittsburgh Coal Company, an operating company incorporated in Pennsylvania.

Unlike the Consolidation Coal Company, which had grown by gradual accretion, the Pittsburgh Coal Company had been created in a single stroke. As with many mergers of the period, its capitalization probably contained a high percentage of "water" in anticipation of profits from future growth. Unfortunately, the years after the merger saw explosive growth in the coal fields of Southern Appalachia instead. Although farther from major consuming centers, they enjoyed several advantages. The coal itself was superior, low-volatile with higher BTU content and altogether cleaner than the high-volatile coals of Ohio and the Pittsburgh District. As already noted, the southern mines were also non-union. With the inroads of Southern Appalachian coal, the Pittsburgh Coal Company continuously lost ground in the crucial Lake and western markets from 1900 to 1915. The company's capitalization proved unwieldy in the unsettled economic conditions following the Panic of 1907. A reorganization plan was devised under which a new Pittsburgh Coal Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania on January 12, 1916 by merging the old Pittsburgh Coal Company of Pennsylvania and the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company. The old holding company was then liquidated and the stock of the new operating company distributed to its stockholders. Dissension between the common and preferred stockholders delayed consummation of the plan until July 16, 1917.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company, which had all its operations in the Central Competitive Field, had a much more difficult time than Consolidation in breaking the 1923 Jacksonville Agreement with the United Mine Workers in 1925-1927 and reverting to non-union status. The three-year struggle ended the company's ability to pay dividends. Pittsburgh Coal survived the Depression without receivership but with ever-increasing arrearages on its preferred stock. By the end of World War II, its managers were just as eager as those at Consol to attempt greater economies through merger. The Pittsburgh Coal Company and the Consolidation Coal Company merged on November 23, 1945, with exchange ratios of 65 to 35 percent. Pittsburgh Coal Company, the surviving partner, changed its name to the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company.

The Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company

After the merger, the M.A. Hanna Company interests of Cleveland became the dominant factor in Pitt-Consol's affairs. Hanna had transferred its pre-merger Consol stock to its subsidiary Bessemer Coal & Coke Corporation in 1943. This led to a restructuring whereby Pitt-Consol acquired Hanna's share of the North Western-Hanna Fuel Company in April 1946 and the Hanna coal properties in eastern Ohio on June 16, 1946 These included large reserves of strippable coal that accounted for about 20 percent of the state's production. Pitt-Consol later acquired Hanna's holdings of coal land in Harrison, Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, on December 30, 1949. It purchased the New York Central Railroad's 51 percent interest in the Jefferson Coal Company, giving it full control, in 1952 and merged it into the Hanna Coal Company Division.

Pitt-Consol sold its last major railroads, the Montour Railroad and the Youngstown & Southern Railway to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad on December 31, 1946. The Northwestern Coal Railway had been sold to the Great Northern system, and the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad had been sold to the Western Maryland Railway in May 1944.

In addition, a new Research and Development Division was created to fund projects aimed at developing more efficient production methods, new outlets for coal consumption, coal-based synthetic fuels and chemical byproducts. A new coal gasification plant opened at Library, Pa., in November 1948, and the company began the manufacture of a smokeless fuel briquette under the trademark "Disco" at Imperial, Pa., in 1949. An experimental coal slurry pipeline was built in Ohio in 1952.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, Pitt-Consol made many changes in its coal holdings, selling high-cost or less desirable properties, diversifying its reserves across many different coal fields, rationalizing property lines to permit large mechanized underground or strip mines and forming joint ventures with steel companies to secure guaranteed customers. Pitt-Consol acquired the Jamison Coal and Coke Company in 1954 and the Pocahontas Fuel Company, Incorporated, a large producer of low-volatile Southern Appalachian coal, in 1956. In the latter year, it sold its Elkhorn Field properties to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. As Pittsburgh District operations became less central, the corporate name was changed back to Consolidation Coal Company in April 1958.

The Consolidation Coal Company, CONOCO and CONSOL Energy, Inc.:

Consol continued to expand into the early 1960s. On April 30, 1962, it absorbed the Truax-Traer Coal Company of Illinois. Truax-Traer also mined lignite in North Dakota, a low-grade but low-sulfur coal that was taking a greater share of the power generation market as environmental laws placed greater restrictions on high-sulfur coal from the Central Competitive Field. The following year Consol acquired the Crozer Coal and Land Company and the Page Coal and Coke Company, owners of additional reserves of low-volatile, low-sulfur steam coal in southern West Virginia.

In 1966, just two years after the company marked its centennial, Consolidation Coal was acquired by the Continental Oil Company (Conoco). This was part of a general trend whereby U.S. oil companies extended their reach by acquiring coal reserves and large coal producers. In turn, Conoco was acquired by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1981. This purchase was motivated by DuPont's desire to obtain better control of chemical feedstocks in an era of high oil prices. Consolidation Coal was not a major factor in the Conoco acquisition and did not really fit into DuPont's strategy, especially after coal and oil prices declined. As a result, it was quickly sold off when DuPont was restructured a decade later. In 1991, a new holding company CONSOL Engery, Inc. was incorporated as a joint venture of DuPont Energy Company and the German energy conglomerate Rheinisch-Westfalisches Elektrizitatswerk A.G., through its wholly owned subsidiaries Rheinbraun A.G. and Rheinbraun U.S.A. GmbH. Consolidation Coal Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy, Inc. DuPont eventually sold most of its half interest, so that by 1998, Rheinbraun affiliates owned 94% of CONSOL Energy stock, while DuPont Energy retained only 6%. CONSOL Energy purchased the entire stock of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company on September 22, 1998. CONSOL Energy stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CNX" in 1999, with an initial public offering of more than 20 million shares.

CONSOL Energy produced more than 74 million tons of coal in 1999, accounting for approximately 7% of domestic production. The company currently operates 22 mining complexes, primarily east of the Mississippi River.

Source

Historical note from the Consolidation Coal Company Records, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

The Archives Center holds a number of collections that document coal.

Coal and Gas Trust Investigation Collection (NMAH.AC.1049)

Hammond Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1003)

Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Records (NMAH.AC.0071)

Lehigh Valley Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1106)

Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company Records (NMAH.AC.0282)

Materials in Other Organizations

Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

CONSOL Energy, Inc. Mine Maps and Records Collection, 1857-2002

AIS.1991.16

The CONSOL Energy Inc. collection contains coal mine maps, related documents and topographical information, as well as surface maps and detailed information on mine accidents. Additionally, there are technical drawings, outside notes on multiple mines, traverse and survey books, information on companies and railroads with which CONSOL conducted business, and a variety of non-print materials including photographs, negatives and aperture cards. Digital reproductions of selected material are available online.

CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records Collection, 1880-1994

AIS.2004.22

The CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records Collection contains coal mine maps as well as surface maps and detailed information on mine accidents in West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. Additionally, there are technical drawings, related documents, traverse and survey books, publications and photographs.

Consolidation Coal Company Records, 1854-1971, bulk 1864-1964

AIS.2011.03

The Consolidation Coal Company (Consol) was created by the merger of several small operators mining the Georges Creek coal basin in Allegany County, Maryland. The company expanded rapidly in the early twentieth century through the purchase of substantial tracts in the coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky as well as docks and distribution facilities in the Great Lakes region. By 1927, Consol was the nation's largest producer of bituminous coal. Following a merger with the Pittsburgh Coal Company in 1945, the company pursued a policy of acquiring companies which afforded opportunities for greater diversification while selling off unprofitable lines. In addition, a new research and development division was created to fund projects aimed at developing more efficient production methods and new outlets for coal consumption. The records of the Consolidation Coal Company and its affiliated companies are arranged in seven series. Minute books and contract files provide the most comprehensive documentation in this collection.
Provenance:
Donated to the National Museum of American History in 1987 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
Restrictions:
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.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Accidents  Search this
Children -- 20th century  Search this
Coal miners  Search this
Company towns  Search this
Churches  Search this
Coal mines and mining -- Safety measures  Search this
Construction  Search this
Dams  Search this
Gardens  Search this
General stores  Search this
Hospitals  Search this
Housing  Search this
Kindergarten  Search this
May Day  Search this
Mine safety  Search this
Mines -- Kentucky  Search this
Mines -- Maryland  Search this
Mines -- Pennsylvania  Search this
Mines -- West Virginia  Search this
Mining corporations  Search this
Mining equipment  Search this
Mining -- Kentucky  Search this
Mining -- Maryland  Search this
Mining and minerals industry  Search this
Mining -- Pennsylvania  Search this
Mining -- West Virginia  Search this
Railroads -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Schools -- school houses -- Classrooms  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Photograph albums -- 20th century
Window displays
Citation:
Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company photographs and other materials, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1007
See more items in:
Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company photographs and other materials
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86027ae9f-9a84-4277-adcf-d0b5e919ac6a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1007
Online Media:

2023 Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellows Lectures – Day 2

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-06-01T17:33:39.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_KBosV_RGZeo

Tamayo: The New York Years Symposium, Morning Session

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-11-03T15:57:12.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_RS5zN3RMAEM

Ed Gerjuoy, "Recollections of Oppenheimer and Schwinger"

Creator:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2011-04-11T18:52:55.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Astronomy  Search this
See more by:
ITAMPhysics
Data Source:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
YouTube Channel:
ITAMPhysics
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_QO7JdhkF5EM

Inka Road Symposium 19 - The Inka Roads in the South-Central Bolivian Andes

Creator:
National Museum of the American Indian  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-07-15T18:45:36.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Native Americans;American Indians  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNMAI
Data Source:
National Museum of the American Indian
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNMAI
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_1TWAPr1R__Y

2021 03 12 Making African America Symposium Session 05

Creator:
National Museum of African American History and Culture  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-07-02T20:38:43.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
African Americans  Search this
See more by:
WatchNMAAHC
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
YouTube Channel:
WatchNMAAHC
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_h2VmwgBlnRM

Artists Reflect Conversation with sāgar kāmath and Adriel Luis

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-10-11T13:48:21.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_OeRbCCW5l14

Prof. Richard Pratt, "ITAMP History and Highlights" - Overview Talk

Creator:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2011-06-29T15:47:42.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Astronomy  Search this
See more by:
ITAMPhysics
Data Source:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
YouTube Channel:
ITAMPhysics
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_SQNvxRO_YHI

Sewickley -- Poplar Hill

Landscape architect:
Shurcliff, Arthur A. (Arthur Asahel), 1870-1957  Search this
Fleming, Bryant  Search this
Townsend, Frederick DePeyster  Search this
Former owner:
Byers, Martha Fleming  Search this
Lyon, John Denniston  Search this
Lyon, Maude Byers  Search this
Alexander, Maitland Reverend Dr  Search this
Alexander, Madelaine Francis Laughlin  Search this
Jackson, William R.  Search this
Jackson, Lucilla Scribner  Search this
Wyatt, Wilson  Search this
Gregg, Walter E. Jr  Search this
Landscape designer:
Burnet, E.  Search this
Architect:
Hiss, Philip  Search this
Weeks, Hobart H.  Search this
Franklin, John Nelson  Search this
Douden, Herbert C.  Search this
Franklin, Douden & Associates  Search this
Consultant:
LeGall, Jöel C.  Search this
Gardener:
Kutchko Nursery, Inc.  Search this
Provenance:
Village Garden Club of Sewickley  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Poplar Hill (Sewickley, Pennsylvania)
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County -- Sewickley
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, photocopies of historic photographs, and histories of the property and architecture.
General:
Poplar Hill is a six-acre property with simplified plantings that accommodate a busy professional lifestyle in a deer-prone area, and renovations that have brought back design features from earlier gardens. The property is entered through a long curving drive under mature trees that leads to the colonial revival house with Georgian features built in the 1950s. The upper garden to the west of the house, measuring about 40 by 56 feet and oriented east to west is planted in turf grass bordered by shaped evergreen shrubs with gravel paths. Green lattice panels supported by tall brick piers enclose the upper garden. A broad flagstone swath with two steps leads to the lower garden, a 70 by 136 feet rectangle with rounded ends that is oriented north to south. A five-foot tall brick wall surrounds the lower garden with a summer house built into the wall that has white Tuscan columns reiterating those on the house. Inside the wall there is an informally planted double border of perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs bisected by a gravel path; the rest of the lower garden is turf grass. Asian stone statues have been placed in the niches at each end of the lower garden and other statues and an antique English wellhead dot the property.
Modern additions to the garden's design include a brick patio, formal side garden and greenhouse southeast of the house. Two argyle parterres of deer resistant boxwood and barberry were planted at the main entrance to the house. A fenced cutting and vegetable garden was placed near where one existed in the past. A horseshoe-shaped yew hedge believed to be from the original landscape design was refurbished with mature shrubs where there were gaps. At one time a reflecting pool bordered in ivy and daphne was a feature in the garden; it was grassed over long ago but the current owners had stones placed outlining the old pool's shape. There are no poplar trees remaining at Poplar Hill and no plans to replant any.
The first house on the 41 acre property known as Poplar Hill was a colonial revival mansion with 35 rooms overlooking the Allegheny Country Club. The first landscape designer of the gardens was Arthur Shurtleff (Shurcliff) but no records or drawings of his design have been located. In the 1930s Poplar Hill had formal gardens with parterre beds of brightly colored bulbs and annuals, an enclosed rose garden, and a border containing one hundred named varieties of iris. The property was subdivided into parcels and most features of the earlier gardens were destroyed.
Persons associated with the garden include Martha Fleming Byers (former owner, 1904-1913); John Denniston Lyon and Maude Byers Lyon (former owners, 1913-1930); Reverend Dr. Maitland Alexander (former owner, 1931-1940); Madelaine Francis Laughlin Alexander (former owner, 1931-1952); William R. Jackson and Lucilla Scribner Jackson (former owners, 1952-1984); Walter E. Gregg, Jr. (former owner, 1984-1991); Mr. Wilson Wyatt (former owner, 1991-1993); Philip Hiss and H. Hobart Weeks (architects of original house, no longer standing, 1904); Arthur Asahel Shurtleff (later Shurcliff), ASLA (likely landscape architect of original garden, 1914); E. Burnet (landscape designer, dates unknown); Frederick DePeyster Townsend and Bryant Fleming (landscape architects, dates unknown); John Nelson Franklin and Herbert C. Douden & Associates (architects of current house, 1953); Jöel C. LeGall, ASLA (landscape consultant, 1994-present); Kutchko Nursery, Inc. (gardeners, 2005-present).
Related Materials:
Poplar Hill related holdings consist of 1 folder (20 digital images)
Additional photographs are also located at the Hunt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Sewickley  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File PA446
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Pennsylvania
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6ee2fd04c-755e-4f00-97b4-a1aaaf7f27a9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref16572

Pittsburgh -- Mellon Park (Walled Garden in Mellon Park)

Provenance:
Garden Club of Allegheny County  Search this
Photographer:
Seamans, Joe  Search this
Denmarsh, Alexander  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny -- Pittsburgh
Mellon Garden (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Scope and Contents:
31 digital images (2007-2019), 14 35 mm slides (circa 1980) and 2 file folders including copies of historic photographs (dates unknown, 1956, 1970, 1974) and a copy of the 1934 Country Life pictorial feature on the Mellon garden.
Varying Form:
Also known as Mellon Estate.
General:
Persons associated with the garden include: Richard Beatty Mellon and Jennie King Mellon (former owners, 1910-1938); Richard King Mellon (former owner, 1938-1943); City of Pittsburgh (owner, 1943- ); Ferruccio Vitale (1875-1933) & Alfred Geiffert, Jr. (1890-1957) and Gilmore D. Clarke (landscape architects, 1927-1929); Frederick R. Bonci and Natalie Byrd Plecity, LaQuatra Bonci Associates (landscape architects, 2005- ); Edmond Romulus Amateis (1897-1981) (sculptor of fountain, 1929); Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) (iron work, 1929); Janet C. Zweig (1950- ) (artist, 2008-2010); Hal Hilbish (lighting designer, circa 2008).
The half-acre walled garden was the renaissance garden situated behind the grand estate of the Mellon family; the mansion was demolished in 1940. Land was donated to Pittsburgh and maintained as a public park, but gardens inevitably declined. The nonprofit Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, members of the Garden Club of Allegheny County and master gardeners provided maintenance, but the restoration of this garden was impelled by the desire of the Seamans family to create a memorial for their daughter, Ann Katherine Seamans. Original features remained: the tapestry brick wall on three sides, limestone steps for the classical processional through the garden, two Samuel Yellin wrought iron gates, and the pink granite fountain by sculptor Edmond R. Amateis backed by a terrace and stone wall. A raised octagonal flower bed below the steps was reconstructed, and holly hedges partially form a fourth wall where the house stood. Restored flagstone walkways around the rectangular lawn are bordered by plantings on either side including allées of Japanese stewartia, sun and shade perennials, spring bulbs, black gum trees for shade, understory magnolia and serviceberry, and woody shrubs including oakleaf hydrangea and Delaware Valley azaleas. The walled garden was reopened as a public park in 2010.

The memorial is an art installation within the lawn: 150 fiber optic light sticks depicting constellations, planets and stars as they were over Pittsburgh on the day and time of Ann Seamans' birth. Each light is labeled on a small disk and there is an interpretive sign on a raised overlook with a limestone bench in one corner. Artist Janet Zweig conceived the project that was installed by wiring each light stick into conduits under the lawn. The garden has park benches around the perimeter and lightweight movable furniture on the terrace.

Persons associated with the garden include: Richard Beatty Mellon and Jennie King Mellon (former owners, 1910-1938); Richard King Mellon (former owner, 1938-1943); City of Pittsburgh (owner, 1943- ); Ferruccio Vitale (1875-1933) & Alfred Geiffert, Jr. (1890-1957) and Gilmore D. Clarke (landscape architects, 1927-1929); Frederick R. Bonci and Natalie Byrd Plecity, LaQuatra Bonci Associates (landscape architects, 2005- ); Edmond Romulus Amateis (1897-1981) (sculptor of fountain, 1929); Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) (iron work, 1929); Janet C. Zweig (1950- ) (artist, 2008-2010); Hal Hilbish (lighting designer, circa 2008).
Related Materials:
Related materials at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the James Van Trump Archives (Pittsburgh History and Landmark's Foundation?). See also the Archives of American Gardens' J. Horace McFarland Company Collection.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File PA407
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Pennsylvania
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb612c4ea9e-d652-49a3-b8f3-15bf1c80b959
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref32268

University of Pittsburgh

Collection Creator:
Stout, George L. (George Leslie)  Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 24
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1925
1946-1947
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
George Leslie Stout papers, 1855, 1897-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
George Leslie Stout papers
George Leslie Stout papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.4: Professional
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw936467454-cb3d-4c8e-bbc7-11a5de4fec96
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-stougeor-ref193

University of Pittsburgh/Western University of Pennsylvania (McCormick, S.B.)

Collection Creator:
Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art  Search this
Container:
Box 139, Folder 38-42
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1907-1932
1934
1936-1940
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records
Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records / Series 1: Correspondence
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95a559d1b-ff1e-4426-8abd-d8dd30f45adb
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-carninst-ref8265

Tamayo: The NY Years Symposium, Afternoon Session

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-11-03T20:49:26.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_C5iM73nCgWE

Diary

Collection Creator:
Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1941
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
Forman H. Craton Papers
Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c6d6150c-095f-4702-87f4-f36c020c7763
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref268
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  • View Diary digital asset number 1

Ken D. Jordan, "Theoretical methods for treating stable anions for which ...

Creator:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2013-02-11T18:42:04.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Astronomy  Search this
See more by:
ITAMPhysics
Data Source:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
YouTube Channel:
ITAMPhysics
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_plqjYrQwVCc

Eldredge Prize: Kirk Savage "When the Ivory Tower Meets The Real World"

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2010-12-10T22:33:10.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_6U9GZt0t96w

Oral history interview with James "Jim" Banks

Names:
Carver Theater (Washington, DC)  Search this
Frederick Douglass Memorial Home  Search this
Sewing Council (Anacostia group)  Search this
Jones, Altman  Search this
Underdue, Sally  Search this
Collection Creator:
Anacostia Community Museum  Search this
Extent:
1 Sound cassette (original)
1 Sound cassette (copy)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Oral histories (document genres)
Place:
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1992 May 6
Scope and Contents note:
Jim Banks discusses the purpose and impact of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum). He describes its emphasis on community outreach, and how the neighborhood residents became involved with its construction, programs, sewing council and community meetings. He describes the scope of the museum broadening from a special focus on the Anacostia community to presenting African American history in a broader context. He also discusses the effect of the social and political climate on the museum, and the museum's relationship with the Smithsonian Institution over the years. 

The interview was recorded on May 6, 1992. The audio quality is clear throughout the recording with some background noise.
Biographical / Historical:
Jim Banks (1930-2005) earned a sociology degree from Howard University, and a Masters Degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. He served in the Navy during World War II. In 1955 he was named Citizen of the Year by the DC League of Women Voters. He became the Assistant Director of tenant selection for the National Capital Housing Authority. In 1963 he began a four-year tenure as the first Executive Director of the United Planning Organization. From 1967-1969, he worked at the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. He later joined DC Mayor Walter E. Washington's cabinet as Director of Housing Programs. He then became the Executive Vice President of the Washington Board of Realtors. In 1988 he helped found the Anacostia/Congress Heights Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness. He also served as Senior Warden and Chairman of the Restoration Committee for the St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Washington. In 2004 he authored the book The Unintended Consequences: Family and Community, the Victims of Isolated Poverty with his son, Peter. 
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
ACMA.09-034, Item AV001541, AV001667
See more items in:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa73fb898e9-f0af-454c-8ea2-0233bdf1d7d0
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-09-034-ref11

Freedomways Vol. 13 No. 1

Published by:
Freedomways Associates, Inc., American, 1961 - 1985  Search this
Edited by:
John Henrik Clarke, American, 1915 - 1998  Search this
Jack O'Dell, American, 1923 - 2019  Search this
Ernest D. Kaiser, American, born 1916  Search this
Esther Cooper Jackson, American, born 1917  Search this
John Devine  Search this
Written by:
E. C. Foster, American, born 1939  Search this
Loyle Hairston, American, 1926 - 2009  Search this
George W. Crockett Jr., American, 1909 - 1997  Search this
Kamal Boullata, Palestinian, 1942 - 2019  Search this
Michel Charlot, French  Search this
Tim Thomas  Search this
Charles B. McMillan  Search this
Illustrated by:
Leopoldo Méndez, Mexican, 1902 - 1969  Search this
Subject of:
Paul Robeson, American, 1898 - 1976  Search this
Southern University at New Orleans, American, founded 1956  Search this
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, American, 1875 - 1950  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper with metal
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 9 × 6 1/16 × 5/16 in. (22.9 × 15.4 × 0.8 cm)
Type:
magazines (periodicals)
Place printed:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted:
Palestine, Asia
Date:
1973
Topic:
African American  Search this
Activism  Search this
Art  Search this
Black Press  Search this
Civil Rights  Search this
Education  Search this
French colonialism  Search this
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)  Search this
International affairs  Search this
Language  Search this
Literature  Search this
Poetry  Search this
Politics  Search this
Slavery  Search this
U.S. History, 1969-2001  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Maurice Jackson
Object number:
2021.20.13
Restrictions & Rights:
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5abe75799-9bf0-4aa9-b75b-0baf70d88a09
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2021.20.13
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View <I>Freedomways Vol. 13 No. 1</I> digital asset number 1

Freedomways Vol. 8 No. 1

Published by:
Freedomways Associates, Inc., American, 1961 - 1985  Search this
Edited by:
John Henrik Clarke, American, 1915 - 1998  Search this
Esther Cooper Jackson, American, born 1917  Search this
Jack O'Dell, American, 1923 - 2019  Search this
John Devine  Search this
Illustrated by:
Charles White, American, 1918 - 1979  Search this
Written by:
Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese, 1918 - 1997  Search this
Robert S. Browne, American, 1924 - 2004  Search this
Loyle Hairston, American, 1926 - 2009  Search this
Ernest D. Kaiser, American, born 1916  Search this
George B. Murphy Jr., American, 1906 - 1986  Search this
Augusta Strong, American, 1934 - 1976  Search this
Calvin H. Sinnette, Trinidadian, born 1924  Search this
Subject of:
W.E.B. Du Bois, American, 1868 - 1963  Search this
Nat Turner, American, 1800 - 1831  Search this
Amiri Baraka, American, 1934 - 2014  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper with metal
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 9 × 6 × 1/4 in. (22.9 × 15.3 × 0.6 cm)
Type:
magazines (periodicals)
Place printed:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted:
South America
Thailand, Asia
Date:
1968
Topic:
African American  Search this
Activism  Search this
Black Press  Search this
Civil Rights  Search this
Colonialism  Search this
International affairs  Search this
Literature  Search this
Poetry  Search this
Police brutality  Search this
Politics  Search this
U.S. History, 1961-1969  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Maurice Jackson
Object number:
2021.20.4
Restrictions & Rights:
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5315b7750-34a7-4dc6-9af7-37182a7406e6
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2021.20.4
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View <I>Freedomways Vol. 8 No. 1</I> digital asset number 1

Langley Aerodrome Number 5 (reproduction)

Manufacturer:
Smithsonian Institution  Search this
Materials:
Fuselage: Steel Tubing
Wings and Tail: Wood with Silk Covering
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Length: 4.0 m (13 ft 2 in)
Height: 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)
Weight: 11.4 kg (25 lb)
Other (wing span): 13 ft. 5 in. (408.9cm)
3-D (Fuselage/engine): 251.5 × 125.7 × 75.6cm (8 ft. 3 in. × 4 ft. 1 1/2 in. × 2 ft. 5 3/4 in.)
Storage (Fuselage only: On Transport Stand): 285.1 × 142.2 × 86.4cm (9 ft. 4 1/4 in. × 4 ft. 8 in. × 2 ft. 10 in.)
Type:
CRAFT-Aircraft
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Date:
1915
Credit Line:
Transferred from the United States Government Exhibit Board
Inventory Number:
A19150002000
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9710477e1-943c-4e97-ad76-53e99376c9a5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A19150002000

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