Latest Structures Page 126

The Hermitage - Andrew Jackson House, Nashville Tennessee

The Hermitage - Andrew Jackson House, Nashville Tennessee

The Hermitage and five hundred acres of adjoining land were bought by the State in 1856. It is believed that the brick building was begun in 1818. In 1831 the following additions were made: the portico on the north or rear elevation; the east and the west wings; a new roof and a new kitchen; There seems to have been no architect for these additions, but reference is made to Joseph Rief, who made up estimates, and to Austin, a brick mason. A Col. Earle is mentioned as an important factor in laying out the formal gardens. In 1834 General Jackson in a letter to Andrew. Jackson Jr. approved of additions and improvements named by Major Lewis and Col. Love to

Railroad Power Director Center - Thirtieth Street Station, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Railroad Power Director Center - Thirtieth Street Station, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Power Directors Circuit and Switch Indicating Boards were designed to visually and aurally indicate the operating status of the railroad's power system. This particular power director center monitored and supervised operation of all switches in the railroad's power control system from North Philadelphia to Wilmington, Delaware. The power directors working at this site oversaw and continually updated the electrical status of the system. Power directors were responsible for safely de-energizing catenary segments for maintenance and repair. Most commonly, actual physical control of a switch was accomplished by a tower or substation operator responding to telephoned orders from the power director. However, some power switching was done directly by the power director. The power director recorded the position of the switch by

Lynwood Pacific Electric Railway Depot, Lynwood California

Lynwood Pacific Electric Railway Depot, Lynwood California

In 1917 the old Lynwood Station Shed which was once adjacent to sugar beet fields was replaced with a larger station (now existing) for passenger operation, at the intersection of Fernwood Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard. The present tracks are located on the southwest side of building and did not parallel any highways. The line was originally a double track but the southern track was removed in 1940-4l. The station was built by the Lynwood Company for the Southern Pacific. In 1953 the Pacific Electric (a subsidiary of Southern Pacific) sold all of its passenger services to Metropolitan Coach Lines. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority took over bus and rail services and the station was finally abandoned in 1958. The

Beverly Shores South Shore Railroad Station, Beverly Shores Indiana

Beverly Shores South Shore Railroad Station, Beverly Shores Indiana

The station was built in 1929 by Leo W. Post according to a design by Arthur U. Gerber for Samuel Insull, head of the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad (the South Shore Line). The railroad which began in 1901 as the Chicago and Indiana Air Line Railroad was reorganized and incorporated in 1925. As part of this revitalization process, the Beverly Shores station as well as several other stations (including a second station at Central Avenue in Beverly Shores) were built. Sometime before 1946 the large neon sign was added to the roof; it is currently owned by the town of Beverly Shores and leased to the South Shore Line until November 30, 2 034.3 The building itself is

Bartow-Pell Mansion, Bronx New York

Bartow-Pell Mansion, Bronx New York

The history of the Bartow-Pell property goes back to 1654, when Thomas Pell purchased over 9,000 acres from the Indians, commemorated by a tree northwest of the mansion, planted on the spot where that event took place. Thomas Pell became the first Lord of the Manor of Pelham, which was named after him and confirmed by a Patent granted by Governor Nicolls on October 6, 1666. The Bartow-Pell Mansion thus stands on land which was once a part of the Manor of Pelham. The property then passed through successive generations of Pells until 1790, when John Bartow, the son of Bathsheba Pell and Theophilus Bartow, purchased a part of the property from the Pell family. From 1794 on, Herman Leroy, who

Rattle & Snap Mansion - Polk-Granbery House, Columbia Tennessee

Rattle & Snap Mansion - Polk-Granbery House, Columbia Tennessee

William Polk was a North Carolinian and a Revolutionary soldier. In his later years he claimed that his was the first American blood spilled south of Lexington during the Revolution, having been shot from his horse during an early encounter with the Tories. He fought at Brandywine and Germantown and spent the winter at Valley Forge. He was with General William Davidson when the General was killed at Cowlin's Ford. It is said that it was Polk who suggested the name for Davidson County, North Carolina, now Tennessee. In 1784, Polk was appointed Surveyor-General of the Middle District of Tennessee. He opened an office in Nashville and through his speculation in Tennessee land became one of the largest landholders in the

Badger Mountain Lookout Fire Watchtower, East Wenatchee Washington

Badger Mountain Lookout Fire Watchtower, East Wenatchee Washington

Over 30 lookout houses were constructed for the Wenatchee National Forest by the Civilian Conservation Corps between the years 1933 and 1942. Badger Mountain Lookout is believed to be among this group. Typically, the C.C.C. provided a work crew that was supervised by a skilled carpenter known as the Local Experienced Man (L.E. M.). Since its founding in 1905, the USDA Forest Service had sought to provide fire surveillance of the National Forests through the placement of men on strategic mountain peaks during fire season. The use of specialized lookout structures began in the Pacific Northwest with the construction of a prototype lookout house placed on Mt. Hood in 1915. The D-6 (District 6, now Region 6) Lookout House, with its

Chester Electric Power Station - PECO Energy, Chester Pennsylvania

Chester Electric Power Station - PECO Energy, Chester Pennsylvania

By the year 1900, commercially produced electricity had been available in large American cities for almost two decades. Using the patents of Charles Brush and Thomas Edison, early electric companies had begun to illuminate downtown streets in New York and Philadelphia during the early 1880s. Soon they faced stiff competition. Wealthy entrepreneurs, often simultaneously involved in real estate, street car and gas lighting ventures, rushed to capitalize on new technology developed by Brush and Edison, establishing small utilities that vied for territory and municipal lighting contracts. Following a pattern of consolidation set in the streetcar business, electric utility owners repeatedly joined forces during the 1880s and 1890s. In Philadelphia, The Edison Electric Light Company merged with a group of interests controlled

Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, Collinsville Illinois

Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, Collinsville Illinois

There is not a lot of information on the early history of the Brooks Catsup Factory. What is known is that by 1908, a plant was bought by the Brooks brothers, Everette and Elgin, who changed its name from the Collinsville Canning and Packing Company to the Triumph Pickle Company, By 1912, the brothers were the major officers of the company and changed its name once again to the Brooks Tomato Products Company. In 1925, the Brooks Tomato Products Company signed up more than 400 acres of tomatoes and 18 acres of string beans. The Collinsville Herald February 17, 1925 issue noted, that this amount of tomatoes will be more than this local plant can process. In 1927 the Suppiger Company

Suntop Lookout Fire Watchtower, Greenwater Washington

Suntop Lookout Fire Watchtower, Greenwater Washington

Suntop Lookout is located on the andesitic ridgetop of Suntop Mountain, 15 miles northeast of Mt. Rainier. The origin of the mountain's name is unknown. The lookout is at 5270 feet elevation and has a view of forest land in the White River and Huckleberry Creek valleys. Concern for the protection of forest lands prompted the establishment of a system of Forest Reserves from the public domain in the late nineteenth century. By 1905, they had evolved into the system of National Forests today administered by the Department of Agriculture. From the outset, fire prevention and control was seen as essential to protection of the Nation's forests. In addition to the actual loss of timber consumed by fire, the threat of

Hat Point Fire Lookout Tower, Imnaha Oregon

Hat Point Fire Lookout Tower, Imnaha Oregon

The Hat Point Fire Watchtower is an 82' high tapered trestle tower (seven segments), supporting an 7' x 7' lookout cabin with a 2'0 wide catwalk surrounding the cabin. There are seven flights of stairs to the catwalk trap door entry. The 8 x 8 tower legs are in a square, 16'8 on center at the foundation blocks. The trestle tapers to a square, 7'2 on center at the top of the tower where it supports the 12' 4 square catwalk/cabin floor structure. The National Forest system was created March 3, 1891 with the establishment of the Forest Reserves. Congress was receiving increasing public pressure for conservation of the natural resources of the Nation. Many forest areas, owned by the Federal

Crocker Art Gallery and Annex, Sacramento California

Crocker Art Gallery and Annex, Sacramento California

The history of the group begins in the 1850s, when B.F. Hastings, pioneer banker and businessman of Sacramento built a home at the southwest corner of 3^rd and O Streets. No clear historical or graphic information has yet been traced about this residence as it was originally built; the house is traditionally dated to 1852 or 1853 (certainly after the fire of November 1852), when the B.F. Hastings commercial building at the southwest corner of 2^nd and J Streets was also rebuilt more solidly. Inference suggests that it may have been a youthful work of Seth Babson of Maine (arrived in California 1850), born 1828; he was busy in the late 1850s with the Fogus (now Stanford) house. The Hastings house

Westover Mansion, Westover Virginia

Westover Mansion, Westover Virginia

Westover i s a superb example of early Georgian architecture. It was also the home of William Byrd II (1674-1744), American colonial planter, writer, politician, and a founder of Virginia gentry society. Westover is located on one of the earliest Virginia plantations, first occupied in 1619. The present mansion is quite possibly the most famous Georgian house in America. It was built between the years 1730 and 1734 by William Byrd II, colonial planter, speculator, author, and public official. William Byrd II (1674-1744) was the son of William Byrd I, one of the founders of Virginia gentry society. The elder Byrd sent his son to London for study, and left him 26,000 acres of land upon his death in 1704. The

Oaklands House, Murfreesboro Tennessee

Oaklands House, Murfreesboro Tennessee

Dr. James Maney, who entered medical practice in Murfreesboro in 1820, was considered one of that community's leading physicians. He had extensive business interests resulting from his own activities, as well as his wife's large inheritance from her father's estate. The Maney home was noted for the hospitality shown to many prominent people of the time. By acquaintance and marriage the family was well connected in Tennessee. From March until May 1862, Oaklands was the command headquarters for Colonel William W. Duffield of the 9^th Michigan Regiment. Colonel Duffield left Murfreesboro in May 1862, but returned on July 12 with Major General Thomas Crittenden, who was to be commander of the Murfreesboro garrison. The morning following their arrival, Confederate General Mathan

Northcut Plantation - Wheeler Place, McMinnville Tennessee

Northcut Plantation - Wheeler Place, McMinnville Tennessee

The Northcutt Plantation House was built circa 1840. It is a well-preserved example of a type of architecture typical to many Tennessee ante-bellum country houses, and is built at 'a large scale. Its open air dog-trot between kitchen and smoke house, its brick paving, its one-room deep masonry construction, its vast entry hall with exterior doors at each end, and its courtyard make it well adapted to the hot summer climate. This late Federal house should also be noted for its well preserved brick slave quarters that form the southwest side of the original courtyard. The woodwork and doors on the interior of the house are beautifully grained and the original hardware is extant. It was later the home of James

Bridgeport Swing Span Railroad Bridge, Bridgeport Alabama

Bridgeport Swing Span Railroad Bridge, Bridgeport Alabama

Bridgeport, in the northeast corner of the State of Alabama, is the location where the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company's (L&N) main line track between Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia crosses the Tennessee River on a single-track railroad swing span bridge structure. The crossing is also used jointly by the Southern Railway. The river was first crossed in 1854, as a result of construction by the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad's (N&C) rail line between Nashville, Tennessee and Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1850-1853. The railroad bridge crossing was apparently built with timber. The existing 364'-0 long swing span, steel, pin-connected bridge was built in 1890-1892. This bridge replaced an earlier bridge, or bridges, and was constructed on the same alignment. The replacement bridge was

DeVault Tavern and Inn, Leesburg Tennessee

DeVault Tavern and Inn, Leesburg Tennessee

The 1797 Knoxville Gazette announced a meeting in the new town of Washington to form a Manumission Society to prohibit slavery. The name of the place was later changed to Leesburg in honor of Leroy Taylor, a prominent citizen and the carver of the State Seal of Tennessee. In 1799 the town was established by Act of Legislature. The community grew up around the Great Stage Road, the only link of transportation and communication with all points north from the west and lower Tennessee county. There was always a need for accommodations here and several taverns preceded DeVaults. Before the year 1803 one was called The Sign of the Bear. The chief stops along this line were Nashville and Abington, Virginia.

Annesdale House, Memphis Tennessee

Annesdale House, Memphis Tennessee

John P. Caruthers was an attorney and judge of the Common Law Court of Shelby County. Dr. Samuel Mansfield, who owned the property from 1860 to 1866 after Caruthers, was a wholesale druggist. His firm advertised his products in the Memphis papers throughout the third quarter of the 19^th century. Henry A. Montgomery, the next property owner, had operated a planing mill before the war. He laid the first telegraph line across the Mississippi River (which was severed in 1862). After the war he went into the cotton compress business and was successful at this until his death in 1887. His sale of the mansion coincided with the death of his wife in 1870. The home was purchased by Annie Overton

Harrisburg Train Station & Trainshed, Harrisburg Pennsylvania

Harrisburg Train Station & Trainshed, Harrisburg Pennsylvania

The Penn Central Railroad Station is the third station built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at its present location in Harrisburg. The original station was built in 1837, the second station in 1857, and the present station during the years 1885-1887. During this period, Harrisburg had become a major railroad center, located at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains. The Pennsylvania Railroad undertook numerous construction projects to improve passenger and freight service and the passenger station and sheds are the most important of the few structures remaining from the years when Harrisburg was a major stop along the Main Line. The train sheds are particularly significant. When constructed, they were among the largest train sheds of the period, and presently, they are

Colonel McNeal House, Bolivar Tennessee

Colonel McNeal House, Bolivar Tennessee

Major Ezekiel Polk McNeal, who had the mansion built, was one of the earliest settlers of Hardeman County, having arrived there in 1822 with his father, uncle, and grandfather Polk. When the county was organized in 1823 its court first met on land of his father, Thomas McNeal; later the town of Bolivar was established on higher ground, originally owned by Ezekiel Polk (his grandfather). In addition to founding a dynasty with such grandsons as Major Ezekiel Polk McNeal and President James K. Polk, Ezekiel Polk should be remembered for writing one of the classic epitaphs of American cultural history. Ezekiel Polk died thirty years before this house was begun, but his grave is just across the road from it and

Book Title Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Book Title Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

Book Title Abandoned Train Stations (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Train Stations (Abandoned Places)

Book Title Abandoned America: Then & Now: A Fun & Fascinating Look Revisiting America's Abandoned Places of the Past

Abandoned America: Then & Now: A Fun & Fascinating Look Revisiting America's Abandoned Places of the Past

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