Mason & Hanger Historical Records, 1900-2001 | Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

By Daniel Weddington and Malcolm Tabor

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Collection Overview

Title: Mason & Hanger Historical Records, 1900-2001

Predominant Dates:1920-1970

Primary Creator: Mason & Hanger Company (1903-1941)

Other Creators: Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Co. (1941-)

Extent: 114.0 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 02/23/2006

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky., Civil engineering., Construction contractors., Engineering., Government contractors., Military bases., Nuclear power plants.

Languages: English, Spanish;Castilian

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Mason & Hanger Historical Records consist of company records that were in storage for many years and considered "historical" by the new parent company, Day & Zimmermann. As there was no order to the material, an order has been imposed that we believe is useful for access and which is essentially alphabetical by project. The projects include: Boston Traffic Tunnel, Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Camp Zachary Taylor, Cannelton Locks and Dam, Carquinez Bridge, Fort Randall Dam, Gateway Army Ammunition Plant, Grand Coulee Dam, Harvey Canal Tunnel, Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Kennedy Space Center, Lincoln Tunnel, Michoud Assembly Facility (for NASA), Pantex Ordnance Plant and the Van Wyck Expressway. There are also files relating to a number of other projects not listed here but which are listed in the finding aid. The company did major work for the Defense Department, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

The primary grouping is the "Project Files" which have been ordered alphabetically and which sometimes contain the full range of documents relating to each project from initial bid to completion, including agreements, correspondence, photographs, drawings & blueprints, construction logs, progress reports, payroll and legal documents. The next series is "Financial & Corporate Records" that include financial reports, audits, correspondence, income-tax returns, minutes, newsletters and statements. Loose photographs, oversize material and ephemera are found at the end of the finding aid and generally relate back to "Project Files."

The collection also contains detailed records for various farm enterprises owned by Silas and H.P Mason.

Collection Historical Note

Founded in Virginia in 1827 by Claiborne Rice Mason, the company was originally known as the Mason Syndicate. From its first contract to move dirt using a mule, a cart, a pick and a shovel, the company has been dedicated to exceeding customers' expectations. By 1885, the firm had re-located to Kentucky where it became renowned for its many noteworthy historical projects such as the C&O Railroad's main line extension into the Ohio Valley, the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, and Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville. Today, as the nation's oldest continuously operating engineering and construction company, Mason & Hanger carries on the tradition of quality and customer service that C.R. Mason began with his pick and shovel 175 years ago.

In 1999, Mason & Hanger was acquired by the Day & Zimmermann Group. For more information please visit the Day & Zimmermann website.

Subject/Index Terms

Agriculture--Kentucky.
Civil engineering.
Construction contractors.
Engineering.
Government contractors.
Military bases.
Nuclear power plants.

Administrative Information

Repository: Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

Acquisition Source: Fitzsimmons, Robert J. (for Day & Zimmerman)

Related Publications: Sons of Martha by Dixon Lanier Merritt is a history of the Mason and Hanger Company.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Project Files.],
[Series 2: Oversize Project Files],
[Series 3: Project Photographs],
[Series 4: Publications and Office Papers],
[Series 5: Financial & Corporate Records],
[Series 6: Office Files],
[Series 7: Financial Records (Ledgers)],
[Series 8: Agricultural Records, 1933-1974],
[Series 9: Oversize Material],
[Series 10: Artifacts and Memorabilia],
[All]

Series 9: Oversize Material

Box OS-1

Barcode: 31234013920853

Folder 1: Oversize Print material: Includes a war-inspired Christmas card from 1941, Land Surveying Diploma for Arthur J. Sackett, Certificate of Commendation for Arnold Hanger from the Army and Navy Union, "American Ordnance Association Prints, Series I: Industry for mobilized defense, World War I," and "American Ordnance Association Prints, Series II: Early European Armament, 12th Century to 1759."
Folder 2: Carquinez Bridge project: Architect's drawings
Folder 3: Carquinez Bridge project: Comparative cost statements. Cites costs for material, wages, equipment, and utilities.
Folder 4: Project Drawings: Projects Completed in the Field of Heavy Construction Period 1926-39 company history lightly bound brochure, Drawing of tunnel shield device for Fort Randall, and two drawings of Offshore Drilling Platform.
Folder 5: Grand Coulee Dam: Cardboard backed framed captioned photographs of work progression in varying stages. Most photographs are marked with numbers an or notes in pen and pencil. Includes a stapled set of photographs possibly intended as a brochure.
Folder 6: Hartland Farm, 1951-1953: Federal Old Age Benefit (FOAB) Tax, Quarterly Statements
Folder 7: Hartland Farm: Stable Drawings

Box OS-2

Barcode: 31234013920846

Folder 1: Oversize photographs: Mostly of company personalities. Many of these are portrait photographs of the older generation of Mason & Hanger executives. Includes three composite photographs of the Louisiana Ordnance Plant hierarchy. Some are labeled.
Folder 2: Los Angeles Rapid Transit Development: Daniel, Mann, Johnson, & Mendenhall and Mason & Hanger Presentation.
Folder 3: The Victory Newspaper of Louisiana Ordnance Plant, 28 Sep 1948: Entitled "Farewell to LOP" this issue marks the closing of the plant. Contains photographs and articles detailing the history of the plant and of the Mason & Hanger Co. Two copies.
Folder 4: Michoud Assembly Facility (NASA), 1967: Real Property Summary
Folder 5: Michoud Assembly Facility, 1974: Real Property Summary

Box OS-3

Barcode: 31234013920838

Folder 1: Construction Photographs: Enlarged progress photographs of various projects. Some are captioned and dated, all seem to be from 1900-1910. [The initial two photos are apparently from overseas - their significance is unknown and may be related to Harry B. Hanger, Sr rather than the company.]
Folder 2: Construction Photographs
Folder 3: Sam A. Mason II: Personal Account Statements - Chemical Bank and Trust 1929-32; Philadelphia National Bank, 1930-32.
Folder 4: Thiokol: Gateway to Space Brochure.
Folder 5: Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Company, 1955-1957: Voucher Register
Folder 6: Waukegan Harbor PCB Contamination Removal: "Appendices to An Engineering Study..."

Box OS-4: Photographs

Compiled photographs designated as figures for inclusion in a book, possibly that of Dr. Watlington. Most have a brief caption and sizing information for a book. Also includes three very long drawings of tunneling equipment [rolled].

Barcode: 31234013920820

Box OS-5: Artwork.

Lexington Herald-Leader Front Page, Dec 17, 1991 - "Bronze thoroughbreds arrive at Park" mounted on foam core board; MDS Production Partners Charter on paper; "The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement," US Air Force, 1962; Nuclear Bomb Display 1965, photograph and text mounted on card stock; BZ Demilitarization Facility (Pine Bluff) color aerial photograph; Aerial Photograph in color of Michoud Assembly Facility on card stock; Night Photograph of Michoud Assembly Facility Main Sign on card stock.

Barcode: 31234013922503

Folder 1: AG Engineering and Robotics Center: Original promotional artwork: Two black & white drawings of AG Engineering And Robotics Center promotional artwork mounted on foam core board. Enlargements of original drawings; Color artwork of same mounted on foam core board.

Box OS-6

Barcode: 31234013922495

Folder 1: Brooklyn Battery Tunnel: Pencil drawings of tunnel ribs and supports (12 sheets).
Folder 2: Brooklyn Battery Tunnel: Sketches in pencil for most details of project. Included at the beginning of the folder is an index list of the sketches.
Folder 3: Cannelton Lock and Dam, 1968: Drawings and Diagrams
Folder 4: Cannelton Lock and Dam: General Diagrams
Folder 5: Carquinez Bridge: Blueprints and diagrams.; Blueprints of many of the diagrams found in Map Folders f.06-11 (27 sheets); Diagrams for Piers 2 and 3 details (9 sheets).
Folder 6: Carquinez Bridge: Reductions for many plans in Map Folders f.06-11 (32 sheets).

Box OS-7

Barcode: 31234013922511

Folder 1: Fort Randall: Aggregate Cooling, J.R. Hightower blueprints.
Folder 2: Fort Randall: Saw details (2 large diagrams [folded] and 3 smaller sheets), tunnel power diagrams (4 sheets), regulation and flood control (4 sheets), tunnel details, steel tunnel bracing (4 sheets), earthwork (6 sheets).
Folder 3: Gateway Army Ammunition Plant, 14 Feb 1969: Life Magazine
Folder 4: Havana Harbor: Topography and area map of Havana Harbor Area (3 sheets).
Folder 5: Mississippi River Bridge Authority: Greater New Orleans Bridge Contract #3 drawings.
Folder 6: Mississippi River Bridge Authority: Greater New Orleans Bridge River Crossing Supplementary Drawings.
Folder 7: Missouri River - Oahe Reservoir, SD: Downstream Tunnels - complete plans with index.

Box OS-8

Barcode: 31234013922529

Folder 1: New River Bridge - Hercules Powder Co.: Contract drawings.
Folder 2: North River Water Pollution Project: Contract drawings.
Folder 3: Research Studies: Linear Accelerator Experimental Facility at Oak Ridge National Lab - Drawings.
Folder 4: St. John's River Bridge: Plans for proposed state highway.
Folder 5: Tacoma Narrows and York River Bridges: Roadway drainage blueprint for Tacoma Narrows Bridge; Caisson and Pier details, York River Bridge (3 sheets).

Box OS-9

Barcode: 31234013922537

Folder 1: Photographs and Artwork: Employee Testing Engine, photograph; Lexington Herald-Leader Front page, 24 Sep 1991 on foam core board; Aerial photograph "Line 800 from the South" unidentified munition plant; 3 Paintings of Sheridan Tank and Shillelagh guided rocket.
Folder 2: Applications and Devices: Technical blueprints, diagrams, and drawings of machinery and devices from identified and unidentified projects.
Folder 3: Boston Traffic Tunnel: Section A Construction Shaft diagrams (4 sheets); General Plan and Profile diagram [folded]; General Details diagram; Cutting Devices diagrams (2 sheets); Form diagrams (2 sheets); Alternate Tunnel Lining blueprint.
Folder 4: Brooklyn Battery Tunnel: Rock Arch Supports blueprints (7 sheets); Cradle Brackets drawing; Steel Tunnel Support diagrams (3 sheets); Commercial Tunnel Lining Material diagrams (4 sheets); Tunnel Ribs diagrams (2 sheets).
Folder 5: Delaware Aqueduct: Method of Placing Concrete Lining diagram; Bethlehem Steel Company blueprints (exact specifications unknown, 2 sheets); Progress Chart.
Folder 6: Fort Randall: Drawings and diagrams of different machines, mostly for rock cutting (6 sheets); Progress Chart drawing.

Box OS-10

Barcode: 31234013922545

Folder 1: Fulton Street Tunnel: Sewer and Niche diagrams (2 sheets); Elevation Map for Fulton and Rutgers Street Tunnels (graph paper); Progress Schedule for Brooklyn Station; Wedge Plate diagram; Clay Blanket diagrams (2 sheets); Working Conditions blueprint; Beams and Support diagrams (2 sheets).
Folder 2: Hartland Farm: Property Maps for Insurance.
Folder 3: Lincoln Tunnel: Diagrams and blueprints for tunnel, equipment, and processes. [Materials are loose due to the variety of sizes of the documents.]

Box OS-11

Barcode: 31234013922552

Folder 1: Lackawack and Merriman Dam: Drill Carriage diagram, Lackawack Dam; Cantilever Crane blackprint; Steel Outlines blueprints (2 sheets); Area Map drawings (4 sheets); Building diagrams (2 sheets).
Folder 2: Mid-Town Hudson Tunnel: Area diagram; Plan for Silt Tunneling (3 copies); Cast Iron and Steel Lining diagram.
Folder 3: Navy Ordnance 90mm Explosive: Automated Machinery diagrams (5 sheets); Composite Vacuum Melting Grid diagram; Continuous Crystalizer diagram; Automatic Pouring Machine diagram; SPCC Conditioning Oven diagrams (2 sheets).
Folder 4: Plans and Drawings for Various Projects: Materials List for unidentified project; Harvey Canal Tunnel Foundation Plan and Profile; Lincoln Tunnel Area Maps (3 sheets); Elevation Map from a New York project; Delaware Bridge Cofferdam diagram; North Metropolitan Relief Sewer Tunnel Shield diagram.
Folder 5: Rutgers Street Tunnel: (2 sheets)
Folder 6: Thiokol Plant: Area Maps drawings and diagrams; Boring Plan diagram; Artistic rendering of finished plant pencil drawings (2 sheets).
Folder 7: Titan Missile Facility: Poster Display of operations and methods of construction (22 sheets); Pencil draft drawings of overall plans (2 sheets).

Box OS-12

Barcode: 31234013922560

Folder 1: Radford Ordnance Works: Two scrapbooks of the grounds, operations, and employees.