Charles Henry Moorefield papers, 1914-1948.

ArchivalResource

Moorefield, Charles Henry, 1883-1936. Charles Henry Moorefield papers, 1914-1948.

Charles Henry Moorefield papers, 1914-1948.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30339329

Correspondence, writings, speeches, and photographs re Moorefield's carrer as a civil engineer and especially his service as South Carolina State Highway Engineer, 1920-1935, during which time S.C. initiated a massive and at times controversial road-building campaign. Correspondence, 1917-1940 and 1969-1984, includes letter, 22 June 1920, from R. Goodwyn Rhett (Chairman of the S.C. Highway Commission), re the duty for a state highway system; letter, 10 Mar. 1930, from commission chairman Cyril E. Jones to Gov. John G. Richards describing the extraordinary effort made to retain Moorefield's services as he considered a return to the federal Bureau of Roads; letter, 28 June 1933, from Governor I.C. Blackwood regarding his recommendation of Moorefield as one of four candidates for state Public Works Administrator; and a complete set of orders, 1925-1926, issued by Chief Highway Commissioner Samuel McGowan, Jr. (1870-1934). Texts of more than 40 speeches and articles, 1914-1935, chiefly describe the state highway program and particulars thereof but also consider such topics as engineering as a career and the use of labor- intensive construction practices in highway projects during the Great Depression as a way to boost employment withn the state. Moorefield viewed engineers as particularly well-suited to helping resolve the problems of the day due to their training as problem solvers and their pragmatic natures, stating an engineering background encouraged "rational processes of thought to a greater extent than any other kind of training" (1932); speeches represented include: "Can Government Conscoiusly Influence the Economic Situation of the Coutnry," presented to the Kosmos Club of Columbia in 1932 at the height of the Depression; and "The Engineer's Job in Times of Economic Depression" (1932), presented to an audience at University of South Carolina. Photographs, 1914-1935 (186 images), chiefly depict roadways, bridges, and road construction and inlcude photographs of work on the old National Road in Ohio during 1914 [in Ohio, this route now defined by U.S. 40]; the collection also includes a brief essay about that project, which is recognized as one of the first major improved highways in the United States to be built by the federal government, when construction began in 1811 at the eastern terminus in Maryland. Later photographs document South Carolina bridges and roads in various stages of construction, and illustrate such problems as flooding and safety hazards.

1.25 linear ft. (1 carton)

University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries