Collection Summary
Lewis M. Haupt Papers
1849-1923
(bulk 1892-1903)
1849-1923
(bulk 1892-1903)
MSS25296
Haupt, Lewis M. (Lewis
Muhlenberg), b. 1844
3,000
items
9 containers
4.0 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Civil engineer and
public official. Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, reports, speeches, and
articles relating to the selection of a route for an isthmian canal and to
Haupt's efforts to secure the Nicaraguan route includes records of the
Nicaraguan Canal Commission and the Isthmian Canal Commission, with further
material relating to Herman Haupt and his duties as chief of construction and
operation of the United States Bureau of Military Railroads during the Civil
War.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937--Correspondence.
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925--Correspondence.
Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919--Correspondence.
Haupt, Herman, 1817-1905. Herman Haupt letterbook. 1861-1863.
Haupt, Lewis M. (Lewis Muhlenberg), 1844-1937.
Hay, John, 1838-1905--Correspondence.
Morgan, John Tyler, 1824-1907--Correspondence.
Search, Theodore C.--Correspondence.
Organizations
Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.) Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.) records.
Nicaraguan Canal Commission (U.S.) Nicaraguan Canal Commission (U.S.) records.
United States. Bureau of Military Railroads.
Subjects
Canals--Nicaragua.
Military railroads.
Occupations
Civil engineers.
Public officials--Pennsylvania.
Provenance
The papers of Lewis M. Haupt, civil engineer and public official,
were purchased by the Library of Congress, 1930-1938.
Processing History
The papers of Lewis M. Haupt were arranged and described in 1972. The
finding aid was revised in 2010.
Additional Guides
The Lewis M. Haupt Papers are mentioned in
Report of the Librarian of Congress, 1930
, p. 77. A list
of the major correspondents along with the dates of their letters is kept in
the Manuscript Division Reading Room with the finding aid.
Related Material
A related collection in the Manuscript Division is the
John Tyler Morgan Papers.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Lewis M. Haupt
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Lewis M. Haupt in these
papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of
Congress has been dedicated to the public.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Lewis M. Haupt are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Lewis M. Haupt Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1844, Mar. 21
Born, Gettysburg, Pa.
1863
1867
Cadet, United States Military Academy, West Point,
N.Y.
1867
1869
Engineer, United States Army
1869
1872
Topographical engineer, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia,
Pa.
1872
1892
Professor of civil engineering, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Pa.
1873
Married Isabella Christina Cromwell
1892
1937
Private engineering practice, Philadelphia, Pa.
1897
1899
Member, Nicaraguan Canal Commission
1899
1902
Member, Isthmian Canal Commission
1904
Won gold and silver medals for engineering feats, St. Louis
Exposition, St. Louis, Mo.
1911
Patented automatic device for reclaiming eroded
beaches
1937, Mar. 10
Died, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Lewis Muhlenberg Haupt (1844-1937) span the years,
1849-1923, with the bulk of the items dating from 1892 to 1903. A majority of
the collection concerns Haupt’s work for the Nicaraguan Canal Commission and
the Isthmian Canal Commission and his attempts to secure the Nicaraguan Canal.
The papers are in English and are organized into the following series:
[
Family
Papers
](family),
[
Correspondence
](corr),
[
Records of the
Nicaraguan and the Isthmian Canal Commissions
](records), and
[
Miscellany
](misc).
The
[
Correspondence
](corr) deals exclusively with the canal question.
Haupt was an advocate of the Nicaraguan route rather than the Panamanian, and
lobbied for the former. Correspondence about his lobbying efforts are found in
his letters to Senator John Tyler Morgan, the Senate advocate of the Nicaraguan
route, and Theodore C. Search, president of the National Association of
Manufacturers. The letters are arranged chronologically with an indexed
letterbook for 1900 at the end of the correspondence.
The
[
Records of the
Nicaraguan and the Isthmian Canal Commissions
](records) contain minutes of
commission meetings; internal memoranda; questionnaires; memorials sent to the
commission; working papers; drawings and charts; newspaper clippings;
congressional hearings, speeches, and proposed bills; and reports submitted to
and prepared by the commission, including
Preliminary Report of the Isthmian Canal Commission
and
drafts of the final report. The working papers consist of articles and
statistical and climatological data on Central America; information on sizes,
drafts, and weights of ships; and shipping rates. The internal memoranda are
conjectural papers written for the commission by its members on the cost of
building the canal, projected income and profits, and expected usage. The
drawings and charts contain Haupt’s projection of the Nicaraguan route and a
map of the route printed in a contemporary journal.
The
[
Miscellany
](misc)
file includes speeches and articles by Haupt supporting the canal route through
Nicaragua and advertisements for his classes at the Franklin Institute in
Philadelphia.
The
[
Family
Papers
](family) consist of typescripts of letters written by Haupt's father,
Herman Haupt, between July 1861 and September 1862, a letterbook of Herman
Haupt’s correspondence from November 1862 to August 1863, and a letter from
Haupt to his son Lewis M. Haupt in September 1863. These letters contain a
large amount of family correspondence as well as official correspondence
concerning Herman Haupt’s duties as chief of construction and operation of
the United States Bureau of Military Railroads during the Civil War.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
-
[
Family
Papers, 1861-1863
](family)
-
[
Correspondence,
1890-1923
](corr)
-
[
Records of
the Nicaraguan and the Isthmian Canal Commissions, 1849-1904
](records)
-
[
Miscellany,
1895-1905
](misc)
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Family Papers,
1861-1863
1861-1863
Typescripts of Herman Haupt’s letters, a letterbook with index,
and a letter to Lewis M. Haupt.
Arranged chronologically.
1
Letters of Herman Haupt,
typescripts,
July 1861-Sept. 1862
July 1861-Sept. 1862
1
Letterbook of Herman Haupt,
Nov. 1862-Aug. 1863
Nov. 1862-Aug. 1863
1
Letter from Herman Haupt to Lewis
M. Haupt,
1863
1863
2-3
Correspondence,
1890-1923
1890-1923
Letters received and copies of letters sent relating to the
isthmian canal.
Arranged chronologically with a letterbook from 1900 at the
end.
2
1890-1900
1890-1900
3
1901-1923, undated
1901-1923, undated
(5
folders)
3
Letterbook,
1900
1900
4-8
Records of the
Nicaraguan and the Isthmian Canal Commissions,
1849-1904
1849-1904
Minutes, internal memoranda, questionnaires, working papers,
memorials, reports, drawings, charts, newspaper clippings, and congressional
hearings and speeches.
Arranged by type of material.
4
Internal memoranda,
1893-1904, undated
1893-1904, undated
(3
folders)
4
Memorials to the commission,
1898-1903
1898-1903
4
Minutes of meetings,
1899-1902, undated
1899-1902, undated
4
Questionnaires sent by the
commission,
1899
1899
5
Drawings and charts,
circa 1887
circa 1887
5
Working papers,
1849, 1892-1902
1849, 1892-1902
(4
folders)
6
Congressional hearings, speeches,
and documents,
1892-1901
1892-1901
6
Newspaper clippings,
circa 1898-circa 1903
circa 1898-circa 1903
6
Reports,
undated
undated
(3
folders)
7
(4
folders)
8
Preliminary Report of the Isthmian Canal
Commission
,
1900
1900
8
Final report, drafts,
circa 1901
circa 1901
(4
folders)
9
Miscellany,
1895-1905
1895-1905
Advertisements, articles, and speeches.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
9
Advertisements for classes at
Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.,
1898-1901
1898-1901
9
Articles,
circa 1895-1905
circa 1895-1905
9
Speeches,
1902-1905
1902-1905