Stone, Amasa, 1819-1883

Biography courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

Amasa Stone, Jr. (1818-11-1883) was a contractor, railroad manager, financier, and philanthropist, born in Charlton, Massachusetts to Amasa and Esther (Boyden) Stone. He apprenticed in construction, and worked with his brother-in-law William Howe to perfect the Howe truss bridge, buying the patent rights in 1842 and eventually constructing hundreds of bridges using his own improved design.

After building the Cleveland-to-Columbus spur of the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad, in 1851 Stone came to Cleveland, Ohio, to superintend the road and build the Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad. By 1852, he was a director of both roads; by 1857, he was president of the Cleveland, Painsville & Ashtabula Railroad. He built or directed other railroads, including the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Road, taking part of his pay in stock, then investing his wealth as a major stockholder in the Cleveland Rolling Mills and related mills throughout the country, as well as in several banks.

On December 29, 1876, a Lake Shore Railroad Howe truss bridge collapsed at Ashtabula, plunging a train into a ravine, killing 92 people. An investigation implicated Stone who, ignoring engineers, had used an overly long span. The road's chief engineer, Charles Collins, committed suicide. Stone was also vexed by William H. Vanderbilt's 1883 plan to consolidate the Lake Shore Railroad with the Nickel Plate Road. On May 11, 1883, after several steel mills he controlled failed, Stone committed suicide, leaving a wife, Julia Gleason Stone, two daughters, Clara Stone Hay and Flora Stone Mather. His multi-million-dollar estate included a $100,000 bequest to Western Reserve University. In 1881 Stone had donated $500,000 to Western Reserve University to establish Adelbert College in memory of his son, who had died in a swimming accident at Yale in 1866. Amasa Stone, Jr. was buried in Lake View Cemetery. click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Amasa Stone, Jr.