Thomas P. Roberts papers, 1827-1944

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Roberts, Thomas P. (Thomas Paschall), 1843-1924
Title
Thomas P. Roberts papers
Dates
1827-1944 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 linear feet
Collection Number
2541
Summary
The Thomas P. Roberts Papers include letters, diaries, legal and financial documents, essays, reports, printed materials, and photographs, all collected or created by Thomas Paschall Roberts. Topics include the formation and operation of the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal Commission, the Monongahela Navigation Company, the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the construction of canals, locks, railroads, and other engineering projects in the United States and Brazil.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Thomas Paschall Roberts (1843-1924) was the third son of prominent civil engineer William Milnor Roberts (1810-1881). He worked with his father as a civil engineer and enjoyed a lengthy career on his own in the same profession. He grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson and State colleges. He left Dickinson State in 1863 to work in Brazil with his father, who was he was in charge of the building of Brazil's Don Pedro Railway. Following his return to the States in the fall of 1865 he took charge of surveys in Northwestern Pennsylvania for a projected railroad. In 1866 Roberts became principal assistant to his father in charge of the open-channel improvement of the entire Ohio River. From 1870 until 1884 he was engaged on or in charge of numerous railroad and waterway surveys, including the Montana Division of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Also in the early seventies he made a reconnaissance of the upper Missouri River from Fort Benton to the Three Forks, his report and map of which were published by the War Department in 1874. He surveyed the upper Monongahela River in 1875 and the Allegheny River in 1878-9. The latter half of his life was devoted almost entirely to waterway improvements and matters relating to navigation, in which he developed an unusual interest. In 1884 he became chief engineer of the Monongahela Navigation Company and when the United States Government purchased the company's plant in 1897, Roberts entered the service of the United States Engineer Department, retaining local charge of the Monongahela River improvements during the greater part of their reconstruction period until 1912, thereafter serving as consulting engineer in an advisory capacity in the United States Engineer Office at Pittsburgh.

In 1889 Thomas P. Roberts became interested in the proposed building of a canal between Lake Erie and the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, and in 1890 Governor Beaver appointed him chief engineer of the Ship Canal Commission of Pennsylvania to conduct the necessary surveys for determining the feasibility of the scheme. In 1894, after an intensive study of the existing conditions, the became chairman of an engineering committee designated by the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce to make a complete survey and prepare a report on the proposed canal as to its practicability. Roberts was a founding member of the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania and maintained a wide interest in scientific, social, and historical topics. He was particularly interested in the causes of the Ice Age in North America and wrote both scientific studies on the topic as well as a short novel. He married Juliette Emma Christy on June 8, 1870 and the couple had seven children: Eleanor Christy Roberts, Annie Gibson Roberts, Juliette Paschall Roberts, Laura Milnor Roberts, Thomas Paschall Roberts Jr., James Milnor Roberts, and Mary Brunot Roberts. Thomas Paschall Roberts died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 25, 1924.

Thomas Paschall Robert's father William Milnor Roberts (1810-1881) was a Pennsylvania-born civil engineer who was engaged as chief engineer for various projects in Montana, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Canada. From 1857 to 1865 he was in charge of the building of the Don Pedro Railway in Brazil. After his return to the United States Roberts was engaged on important hydraulic and railroad works, such as the improvement of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the construction of the St. Louis Bridge, and the water supplies of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He was also involved in surveying the route for the Northern Pacific Railroad. As a result of W.M. Roberts' engineering work in Montana, Montana State College (later Montana State University) named its engineering building Roberts Hall in his honor in 1923. He married Annie Barbara Gibson of Pennsylvania in 1837 with whom he had six children; William Milnor Roberts, Jr. (July 7, 1838), John Bannister Gibson Roberts (Feb. 1, 1841), Thomas Paschall Roberts (April 21, 1843), George Gibson Roberts (March 22, 1845), Annie Gibson Roberts (April 27, 1849), Richard Anderson Roberts (May 13, 1854), and Charles Watts Roberts (July 1857).

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Letters, diaries, legal and financial documents, essays, reports, printed materials and photographs, all collected or created by Thomas Paschall Roberts, make up the bulk of this collection. The letters contain many sheets written to Thomas from his father and other family members and friends regarding personal matters and engineering projects, along with outgoing drafts and carbons from Thomas to colleagues and friends. The diaries are primarily those of William Milnor Roberts while he worked in Brazil from 1860 through 1865, but one kept by Thomas details his daily life in 1867 while working to improve navigation on the Ohio River. Of particular interest in the collection are the manuscript essays and reports written by Thomas and others pertaining to a wide variety of historical, scientific, and engineering topics. One of the twelve photographs in the collection is a formal portrait of Thomas taken on September 18, 1920, which includes his detailed, humorous account of its creation on the verso. Some of the correspondents and creators of materials in this collection include John Marston Goodwin and Emile Low, also prominent civil engineers. Topics include the formation and operation of the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal Commission, the Monongahela Navigation Company, the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the construction of canals, locks, railroads, and other engineering projects in the United States and Brazil.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1 Letters, 1857-1944

Series 2 Diaries, 1860-1867

Series 3 Legal and Financial Documents, 1860-1913

Series 4 Essays and Reports, 1880-1944

Series 5 Printed Materials, 1841-1937

Series 6 Photographs, 1870-1933

Series 7 Maps and Oversize Materials, 1827-1923

Acquisition Information

Letters, diaries, essays, reports, printed materials and photographs created or collected by Thomas P. Roberts were donated to Montana State University by Priscilla Thompson-Roberts, Arlington, Virginia, on August 5, 2011.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2011 September 2

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

1:  Letters, 1857-1944Return to Top

Letters, mostly received by Thomas P. Roberts (TPR) in the course of his professional career, along with some family exchanges. Early letters dated from 1857 to 1863 are from family members, including TPR's mother, uncle, brother, and father, William Milnor Roberts. These letters pertain to family matters and personal reflections on the war and its causes. Of particular interest is the letter from TPR's brother, John B. G. Roberts, who attended a funeral in Washington, D. C. in 1861 and mentions meeting Abraham Lincoln. Postwar letters from 1866 to 1879 are mostly from William Milnor Roberts to various parties concerning engineering projects, including the survey for the intended route of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Letters dated 1881 and beyond are from a variety of engineers and businessmen to TPR, including John Marston Goodwin and Eban Brewer. Rough drafts and carbon copies of outgoing letters from TPR cover a wide variety of topics, including family matters, engineering problems, and the naming of the engineering building at Montana State University for his father. The most recent letters concern Roberts's descendants. All have been chronologically arranged.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Letters
1850s
Box Folder
Anna Barbara Gibson Roberts, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, letter to Thomas P. Roberts (TPR)
1857 June 15
George McClure, Washington, D. C., letter to TPR
1859 July 11
1 2 1861-1863
Box Folder
John P. Roberts (uncle of TPR), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1861 April 29
John Banister Gibson Roberts, Washington, D. C. letter to TPR
1861 September 8
William Milnor Roberts (WMR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, letter to TPR
1862 November 25
1 3 1866-1867
Box Folder
WMR, Franklin, Kentucky, to "Dear Sons," (TPR and WMR Jr.)
1866 April 20
WMR, Hagerstown, Maryland, letter to Edwin M. Stanton, Sec. of War
1866 August 11
WMR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to Maj. Gen. Andrew Atkinson Humphreys
1866 October 27
WMR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to Maj. Gen. Andrew Atkinson Humphreys
1867 May 30
WMR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to Maj Gen. Andrew Atkinson Humphreys
1867 July 14
1 4
Letters
1868-1869
Box Folder
Col. John Navarre Macomb, Cincinnati, Ohio, letter to WMR
1868 July 24
WMR, St. Louis, Missouri, letter to "my dear sir"
1869 January 27
WMR, Salt Lake City, Utah, letter to TPR
1869 June 18
Godfrey Weitzel, Louisville, Kentucky, letter to TPR
1869 June 19
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to WMR
1869 September 25
1 5
Letters
1871-1878
Box Folder
Julietta Roberts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1871 April 20
WMR, New York, NY, letter to TPR, Assistant Engineer, Helena, Montana
[Missing last page]
1872 June 4
WMR, New York, NY, letter to "Daughter and Granddaughter"
1872 June 4
WMR, New York, NY, letter to "My Dear Mr. Brunot"
1874 May 14
WMR, New York, NY, letter to TPR
1875 March 31
WMR, New York, NY, letter to TPR
1876 May 13
WMR, Tacoma, Washington, letter to General H. G. Knight, USA
1878 August 4
TPR, Washington, Pennsylvania, letter to Julietta Roberts
1878 August 7
George Stark, St. Paul, Minnesota, letter to TPR
1878 November 16
C. Moser, Cincinnati, Ohio, letter to TPR
1879 May 28
James B. Dougherty, Salamanca, N.Y., postcard to TPR
1879 September 5
1 6
Letters
1881-1891
Box Folder
O. James, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, letter to TPR
1881 July 25
John Marston Goodwin, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, postcard to TPR
1890 April 26
John Marston Goodwin, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, letter to J. C. Bragdon
1891 January 30
John Marston Goodwin, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1891 January 30
Eban Brewer, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1891 March 12
Eban Brewer, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1891 March 21
John Marston Goodwin, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, letter to TPR
1891 April 22
1 7
Letters
1903-1910
Box Folder
"Agnes," Munich, Germany, to TPR
1903 August 19
William L. Seibert, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to TPR
1906 June 28
James O. Handy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to TPR
1908 February 5
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to James O. Handy
1908 February 6
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Hiram M. Chittenden
1908 May 12
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to H. C. Newcomber
1909 July 31
Unknown, White Plains, New York, to James Milnor Roberts
1910 June 23
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to editor of Pittsburgh Dispatch
1911 February 23
1 8
Letters
1912-1918
Box Folder
G. G. Pond, State College, Pennsylvania, to TPR
1912 March 30
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Edwin E. Sparks
1912 July 9
Charles Parker, New York, New York, postcard to TPR
1912 December 3
Juliette Roberts, letter to "Dearest Father" (TPR)
1912 December 10
Charles L. McKeehan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to TPR
1913 February 3
Unidentified, Gatus, Panama Canal Zone, letter to TPR
1913 July 9
TPR, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Street and Smith Publishers
1914 December 11
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to "Professor Abbe"
[second page missing]
1915 November
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Paschall Roberts
1918 February 2
1 9
Letters
1920-1944
Box Folder
William Craig, letter To TPR
regarding meteorite of 1860
1920 October 5
TPR, Cincinnati, Ohio, letter to E. N. Johnston
[second page missing]
1922 May 29
George M. Sherman, location unknown, to TPR
1922 September 28
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to University of Montana (Montana State University)
[draft]
1922 November 18
TPR, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to Professor Norris, Univ of Montana
[draft, including a biographical sketch of his father and some of his own experiences while surveying in Montana]
1922 November
Louis Ludlow, Washington, D. C., letter to the librarian of the University of Pittsburg
[typed copy, unsigned]
1930 January 18
J. Hampton Moore, Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association, letter to George M. Lehman
[typed copy, unsigned, with enclosures]
1930 February 18
A. L. Strand, Bozeman, Montana, letter to James Milnor Roberts
1938 December 23
"Ginger," Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, letter to James Milnor Roberts
1944 October 18
1 10
Letters
undated
Box Folder
William Milnor Roberts, letter regarding river work
[two fragments; encapsulated]
TPR, letter regarding river work to the editor of the Chronicle
[rough draft in pencil]

2:  Diaries, 1860-1867Return to Top

Five small manuscript diaries created by William Milnor Roberts while engaged by Brazil's Dom Pedro II for the construction of a railroad in that country. The diaries contain personal information as well as technical notes on the project. The final diary, created by WMR in 1865, is actually a small memoranda book that contains random notes composed during his voyage back to the United States after the completion of his stay in Brazil. The Thomas P. Roberts diary contains detailed entries of his day to day activities in 1867, a time when he served as an assistant engineer under his father while engaged in a comprehensive survey of the Ohio River for navigation improvement.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 11
William Milnor Roberts
1860-1867
Box Folder
1860 February 21-April 30
1863 March 10-May 13
1863 July 12-September 5
1 12
William Milnor Roberts
1863-1865
Box Folder
Diaries No. 6 and 7
1863 September 14-December 15
Memorandums, Chiefly concerning ports, tides, etc., Steam ship Emily B. Souder
1865 June 26-August 17
1 13
Thomas Paschall Roberts
1867

3:  Legal and Financial Documents, 1860-1913Return to Top

Contracts, financial notes, appointment certificates, and miscellaneous financial notes pertaining to Thomas P. Roberts or his father, William Milnor Roberts. Documents include partnership agreements and property settlements for WMR in his Brazilian work, court documents for lawsuits involving TPR as a witness, contracts and property statements for TPR's personal property, and miscellaneous financial receipts for business and personal expenses. All have been chronologically arranged, and oversize materials removed to Box 5 have been noted.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 13a
Legal documents
1860-1864
Box Folder
1860 January 2
1864 August 31
1 14
Miscellaneous financial memos
1864-1865
1 15
Thomas Paschall Roberts, statement regarding the disposition of the estate of his grandfather, John Bannister Gibson
1868 February 12
1 16
Allegheny County, PA., subpoena for Thomas Paschall Roberts and Alex King
1879 June 25
Commissions
1889-1896
Box Folder
5 12
Appointment for TPR as member of the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal Commission
1889 October 25
5 13
Delegate appointment for TPR to attend the Western Waterways Convention
1895 October 8
1 17
Appointment for TPR as Engineer Inspector for the Pennsylvania Board of Health
1896 February 11
Box Folder
1 18
Allegheny County, PA, real estate transfer indenture issued to TPR
1891 November 3
1 19
Release for workers on brick residence for TPR
1902 November 4
1 20
Bidding advertisement for building U.S. Towboat T. P. Roberts
1906 February 2
1 21
Witness deposition of TPR for Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company vs. the United States
1913 July 7
1 22
Miscellaneous receipts, invoices and property lists
[8 items]
1891-1913; undated

4:  Essays and Reports, 1880-1944Return to Top

Manuscript essays and reports composed by Thomas P. Roberts and others. The documents created by TPR cover a wide variety of topics, including his abiding interest in the causes of the Ice Age and its effects in North America, local history, religion, and engineering projects along the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers. TPR also gathered material dealing with his family's genealogy, and even wrote a novelette about Ice Age people. One essay, written toward the end of his life, gives TPR's views on Einstein's theory of relativity. Three additional essays, written by William Milnor Roberts, John Marston Goodwin, and Emile Low, present thoughts on engineering projects in Brazil and Pennsylvania. The essays have been arranged in chronological order, with those by TPR preceding the last three created by others.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 23
[biographical statements and information]
circa 1920-1944
1 24
[Miscellaneous memoranda journal, contains "A Reminiscence of the War" and rough drafts of outgoing letters]
circa 1880s
1 25
[untitled essay on George Washington and Fort Duquense; incomplete]
1902 June 2
1 26
"Old River Records"
1909 March 22
1 27
"Comments on Professor Swain's Articles"
1910 April 23
1 28
"Papers by a Layman of the Orthodox Church"
1913 March 1
1 29
"Physics and Causes of the Glacial Period," version 1
1914 February
1 30
"Physics and Causes of the Glacial Period," version 4
1914 February
1 31
"Physics and Causes of the Glacial Period," version 5
1914 February
2 1
"The Dividing Wall," version 1
1914 April
2 2
"The Dividing Wall," version 2
1914 April
2 3
"Reservoirs"
1915 July 24
2 4
"Ohio River Board Report," extracts
1916 September 8
2 5
"Memoranda-Trip over the Monongahela River"
1918 November 3
2 6
"Einstein's Theory of Relativity"
1921 July 5
2 7
"The Rainy Summer of 1875"
1923 July 20
2 8
"The Canal from an Engineering and Business Standpoint"
2 9
"Theories Relating to the Causes of the Glacial Epoch"
2 10
"Systematic Table of Family History in Brazil"
[and related documents]
2 11
[Unidentified essay fragments]
2 12
"Improvement of Bay at Rio De Janeiro," by William Milnor Roberts
1881
2 13
"Memoranda of Relative Elevations," by John Marston Goodwin
1891 January 30
2 14
"Reminiscences of the Narrow Gauge Railroad Craze," by Emile Low

5:  Printed Materials, 1841-1937Return to Top

Printed reports, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspaper clippings written by Thomas P. Roberts and others, collected by TPR or his descendants. Many of the materials in this series were either written by TPR or mention him and concern engineering projects such as the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal, the navigation exploitation of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, railroad construction, and the general topic of early American civil engineering. The first seven folders contain offprints of journal articles or pamphlets written by TPR. The following folders have been arranged in alphabetical order by the names of the creators and include serial publications that include articles written by TPR and others on the above mentioned topics. The newspaper clippings and scrapbooks are extremely fragile and have been removed for separate storage in oversize box 5. Photocopied surrogates are available for research use.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
3 1
Survey of the Monongahela River, and examination of the Louisa Fork of Sandy River. Letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting, in compliance with the river and harbor act of March 3, 1875, a report of Maj. W.E. Merrill, Corps of Engineers, on the survey of the Monongahela River, et. cetera January 25, 1876. -- Referred to the Committee on Commerce and ordered to be printed. Serial Set Vol. No. 1689, Session Vol. No.12. 44th Congress, 1st Session. H.Exec.Doc. 91.
(Washington: GPO, 1876) [bulk of the report was written by Thomas P. Roberts and James E. Bell to Col. W. E. Merritt.]
3 2
Roberts, Thomas P. The Allegheny River
[an address by T. P. Roberts entitled "The Allegheny River" to the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania on February 17, 1880]
3 3
Roberts, Thomas P. Prospectus of the Ohio Valley Railroad between Evansville, Indiana and Jackson, Tennessee
(Pittsburgh: n.p., 1885)
3 4
Roberts, Thomas P. Long Distance Transportation of Natural Gas. A Paper Read Before the Society of Engineers of Western Pennsylvania, January 19, 1886
(Pittsburgh: the Society, 1886)
3 5
Roberts, Thomas P. Address on the commercial outlets of the Great Lakes, with special reference to the proposed Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal: delivered before the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, March 27, 1893
(Pittsburgh: s.n., 1893)
3 6
Roberts, Thomas P. The Projected Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal
(Boston, Damrell and Upham, 1893)
3 7
Roberts, Thomas P. ("Enlargement of the Erie Canal," article in Proceedings of the International Deep Waterways Association. 1st convention, Cleveland, Sept. 24-26, 1895
(Cleveland, W.M. Bayne Print. Co., 1895)
3 8
Black, W. M. The United States Corps of Engineers and its relation to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Centennial Celebration of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
(Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1916)
3 9
American Society of Civil Engineers. Some notes on the location and construction of locks and movable dams on the Ohio River with particular reference to Ohio River Dam No. 18
(S.l.: s.n., 1923)
3 10
Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919. Pennsylvania's industries and railroad policy: An address delivered before the legislature of Pennsylvania, at Harrisburg, on Monday evening, April 8, 1889
(Pittsburgh: s.n., 1889)
3 11
Citizens Meetings
[broadside announcing a public hearing by the board of Directors of the Pittsburgh, Castle Shannon and Washington Railroad on April 2, and Bethel School house April 3 to "consider and act upon the report of Thomas P. Roberts regarding various possible expansion routes of the railroad between Castle Shannon and Finleyville."]
3 12
Deisler, George F. Official program and complete history, Ohio River pageant and dedication, October 19th-25th, 1929, commemorating the completion of the Ohio River canalization from Pittsburgh to Cairo
(Cincinnati: 1929)
3 13
Eads, James Buchanan, 1820-1887. Mississippi Jetties: : Review by James B. Eads of the report of the Board of U.S. Engineers appointed under the act of Congress approved June 19, A.D. 1878. (Washington: GPO, 1878), bound with U. S. Secretary of War. Letter from the Secretary of War, communicating, in obedience to law, the report of the board of officers appointed to examine the works in progress of construction by James B. Eads, at the mouth of the Mississippi River. January 27, 1879. -- Referred to the Committee on Commerce and ordered to be printed. Serial Set Vol. No. 1831, Session Vol. No.4, 45th Congress, 3rd Session, S.Exec.Doc. 49
(Washington: GPO, 1879)
3 14
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Final Report of Committee on Roads, with Draft of Proposed Road Act
(Pittsburgh, Penn., Jos. Eichbaum and Co., 1891)
1891
3 15
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings
[partial]
1890 November
3 16
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 23, 6
[includes "Floods and Means of their Prevention in our Western Rivers," by TPR]
1907 July
3 17
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 24, 4
[includes "The Monongahela River,' by TPR]
1908 May
3 18
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 26, 2
[includes "Floods in the River Seine," by TPR]
1910 March
3 19
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 27, 8
[includes "Acids in the Monongahela River," by TPR]
1911 November
3 20
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 32, 16
[includes "The Glacial Epoch," by TPR]
1916 October
3 21
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proceedings, 40, 10
[includes obituary of TPR]
1925 January
3 22
Great Britain. War Office. General Staff. Notes on engineer work during operations, Rev. ed.
(London: Harrison, 1918)
3 23
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Committee on Rivers and Harbors. Report of Committee on Rivers and Harbors on encroachments upon the channels of the rivers about Pittsburgh: read at the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, October 14th, 1889
(Pittsburgh : Joseph Eichbaum and Co., 1889)
3 24
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, et. al. Report of the joint commission of the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania, Allegheny County Medical Society and Iron City Microscopical Society on the present condition and improvement of the water supply of Allegheny County
(Pittsburgh: the Commission, 1894)
3 25
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Lake Erie and Ohio River ship canal: organization, reports of committees, and other papers approved by the Provisional Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, Pa.
(Pittsburgh, Pa.: James M'Millan, 1894)
4 1
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Lake Erie and Ohio River ship canal: report of the Provisional Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, Pa. [special edition without appendix]
(Pittsburgh, Pa. : Percy F. Smith, Printing and Litho Co., 1896)
4 2
In memoriam, John Henry Galey: born February 4, 1840, died April 12, 1918
(New York : James T. White and Co., 1921)
4 3
Lake Erie and Ohio River ship canal Company. Memoranda in re the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal of Pennsylvania s.l.; s.n.,
1910
4 4
Lake Erie and Ohio River ship canal Company. Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal. Confidential
(sn. sd.)
4 5
Lake Erie and Ohio River ship canal Company. National Charter
(Pittsburgh, 1906)
4 6
Markham, E. M. Statistical Report of Lake Commerce Passing Through Canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario during session of 1919 with supplementary report of commerce passing through the Detroit River
(Washington: GPO, 1920)
4 7
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Second annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Third annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1841
1840
4 8
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Fifth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Sixth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1846
1845
4 9
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Eighth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Ninth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1849
1848
4 10
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Tenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Eleventh annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1851
1850
4 11
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Twelfth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Thirteenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1853
1852
4 12
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Fourteenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Fifteenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1855
1854
4 13
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Seventeenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Eighteenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1858
1857
4 14
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Nineteenth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Twentieth annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1860
1859
4 15
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Twenty-first annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company
also Twenty-second annual report of the President and managers to the Monongahela Navigation Company; 1862
1861
4 16
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Thirty-Sixth Annual report of the Board of Managers of the Monongahela Navigation Company to the stockholders: with accompanying documents
also Forty-Second Annual report of the Board of Managers of the Monongahela Navigation Company to the stockholders: with accompanying documents, 1882
1876
4 17
The Monongahela Navigation Company. Forty-Fourth Annual report of the Board of Managers of the Monongahela Navigation Company to the stockholders: with accompanying documents
also fragment of undated "Annual report to the stockholders of the Monongahela Navigation Co."
1884
4 18
The Nautical Gazette, 61, 4
[includes story on TPR and the new government steam launch T. P. Roberts, p. 58-59]
1906 July 26
4 19
Pennsylvania. Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal Board. The Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal
(s.n., s.l.). [undated broadside]
4 20
Pennsylvania. Ship Canal Commission. Report of the Ship Canal Commission of Pennsylvania to the General Assembly of 1891 respecting the feasibility of a ship canal to connect the waters of Lake Erie and the Ohio River
(Harrisburg, Pa.: Ship Canal Commission of Pennsylvania ; Erie, Pa.: Printed by Dispatch Pub. Co., 1891)
4 21
Souvenir of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
([Pittsburgh?]: Eichbaum Press, 1898)
4 22
Stevenson, William Holmes: 1857. Report of the Lake Erie and Ohio River canal board of Pennsylvania / Filed June 28, 1917 with Hon. Martin G. Brumbaugh, governor of Pennsylvania
(Harrisburg?, s.n., 1917)
4 23
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Pittsburgh District. Aegis of an industrial empire: or, genesis of Pittsburgh Engineer District
(Pittsburgh: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1937)
4 24
U.S. Secretary of War. Prevention of damage by floods. Letter from the secretary of war, transmitting report of the board of officers of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army appointed April 12, 1913, upon the most practicable and effective measures for prevention of damage by flood to works constructed for the improvement of navigation, of interference with interstate commerce, and other disastrous results thereof.
(Washington, Govt. Print. Off. 1914)
4 25
Newspaper clipping scrapbook
[photocopy; fragile original has been placed in Box 5, oversize material]
4 26
Newspaper clipping scrapbook
[photocopy; fragile original has been placed in Box 5, oversize material]
4 27
Loose clippings
[photocopies]
5 14
Scrapbook
[removed from Series 5]
5 15
Scrapbook
[removed from Series 5]
circa 1889

6:  Photographs, 1870-1933Return to Top

A formal 1912 portrait of TPR, with detailed information regarding its creation written on the back; several views of TPR with colleagues; images of TPR's stepmother and brother-in-law; an image possibly of the steam boat T.P. Roberts; several views of engineering and industrial sites in Pennsylvania.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
4 28
Photographs #1-12
1: TPR, portrait
1920 September 18
2: TPR, unidentified group
circa 1910s
3: TPR, unidentified group on ship deck
circa 1910
4: Moon River Lock 1
[TPR visible on left of frame]
1909 October 9
5: Unidentified paddlewheel steamer
[T.P. Roberts?]
6: Adeline de Beelen Roberts, age 16
[copy print]
7: Robert Christy, portrait
circa 1870s
8: Unidentified woman and child
[tintype found in TPR 1867 diary]
9: Shop assembly, barge for U.S. Dept of Commerce, Buffalo, NY
1933
10: Shop assembly, barge for U.S. Dept of Commerce, Buffalo, NY
1933
11: Dipper dredge Beaver
1933 September 7
12: Launching party, U.S. dipper dredge Beaver, Leetsdale, Penn.
1932 October 25

7:  Maps and Oversize Materials, 1827-1923Return to Top

Manuscript and printed maps, including a detailed 1824 chart of the route of a Pennsylvania canal and other canals and railroads. An unidentified house plan, which may be that of TPR's home, details landscaping plants, and two later dated printed maps show early automobile routes through western Pennsylvania. Fragile oversize scrapbooks and two large printed appointment commissions are also in this series.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
5 1
"The Canal Route Between Pittsburg [sic] and Conneaut Lake"
Charles T. Whippo, Civil Engineer- Drawn by Matthew R. Stealey. [manuscript map on linen, very fragile, 31 by 76 inches]
1827
5 2
Bellfontaine and Indiana Railroad Map
[photocopy]
1852
5 3
Commercial Map, Lake Erie and Ohio Ship Canal
1896 March
5 4
Map and Profiles, Lake Erie and Ohio Ship Canal
1896 March
5 5
Automobile Club of Pittsburgh.. South Western Pennsylvania road map
(Boston: Walker Lith. and Pub. Co.,1917)
5 6
Automobile Club of Pittsburgh.. South Western Pennsylvania road map
(Boston: Walker Lith. and Pub. Co., 1923)
5 7
Lehhman, George M. Map showing location of proposed Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal and connecting waterways, east of Mississippi River. Appalachian Coal Field and Iron Ore Region.
5 8
Lehman, George M. Map showing the areas having the benefit of through water transportation. The Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal at the point of the arrow would complete the chain. It is the missing link.
5 9
Lehman, George M. The Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal Board; Beaver-Mahoning-Grand River Tourte. Drainage areas; storage reservoir on summit and line of canal as recently proposed by the District and Division of Engineers, U.S. Army.
5 10
Steamer Sprague and Tow
[blueprint]
1908
5 11
Hand drawn house plan
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Americans--Brazil--Diaries
  • Civil engineering--Brazil
  • Civil engineering--United States
  • Civil engineers--Brazil
  • Civil engineers--United States
  • Geology, Stratigraphic--Pleistocene
  • Inland navigation--United States
  • Railroads--Brazil--Design and construction

Personal Names

  • Goodwin, John M.
  • Low, Emile
  • Roberts, Thomas P. (Thomas Paschall), 1843-1924--Archives
  • Roberts, W. Milnor (William Milnor), 1810-1881
  • Roberts, W. Milnor (William Milnor), 1810-1881--Diaries

Corporate Names

  • Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II (Brazil)
  • Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal Commission
  • Monongahela Navigation Company
  • Northern Pacific Railroad Company
  • Ship Canal Commission of Pennsylvania
  • United States. Army. Corps of Engineers

Family Names

  • Roberts family--Correspondence

Geographical Names

  • Brazil--Description and travel
  • Monongahela River (W. Va. and Pa.)--Navigation
  • Ohio River--Navigation