J.B. Campbell Waterwheel Company photographs, part 1
Creation: circa 1920-1965Abstract
Campbell Waterwheel Company specialized in traditional water wheels and how they could be used as esthetic elements in the landscape. Consequently, much of the company's work was for decorative power plants for private estates or for historic restorations. The collection consists of graphic materials related to J.B. Campbell and the Campbell Water Wheel Company. The bulk of the collection contains photographs of company projects, arranged alphabetically by client or contractor name. These include views of water wheels, turbines, and water supply systems during various stages of installation. There are also views of mills, dams, flumes, hydroelectric power plants, irrigation gates, swimming pools, and hydraulic machinery.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1920-1965
Creator
- J.B. Campbell Water Wheel Company (Organization)
Extent
6 Linear Feet
Physical Description
1,521 photographic prints : b&w, few color ; 8 x 10 in. or smaller. 2,317 negatives : b&w, few color ; 8 x 10 in. or smaller. 248 slides : color ; 35mm. 81 slides : lantern ; 10 x 12.5 cm. or smaller. 24 prints (postcards) ; 9 x 14 cm. 7 items : site plans ; 68 x 106 cm. or smaller. 1 item : measured drawing ; 55 x 45 cm. 1 print : lithograph, color ; 51 x 73 cm. 1 print : color ; 76 x 130 cm. 1 item.
Historical Note
The J.B. Campbell Water Wheel Company specialized in traditional water wheels and how they could be used as esthetic elements in the landscape. Consequently, much of the company's work was for decorative power plants for private estates or for historic restorations. The J.B. Campbell Water Wheel Company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1920.
John Blake Campbell (1890-1987) was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1890 and studied engineering at Cornell University. During 1915 to 1916 he studied the old water-powered mills which survived near his home in Virginia, and in 1916 to 1917 he was an engineering salesman for the Fitz Water Wheel Company of Hanover, Pennvylania, a firm that specialized in small hydro-power installations.
After serving in the Army Engineers from 1917 to 1919, Campbell moved to Philadelphia and founded his own company in 1920. He designed overshot water wheels in welded steel, essentially applying modern production technology to a relatively primitive device. He also worked on turbine installations, municipal water systems and flood control, but he came to specialize in traditional water wheels and was particularly interested in them as esthetic elements in the landscape. Consequently, much of his work was for decorative power plants for private estates or for historic restorations. His customers included Henry Ford (1863-1947), numerous Rockefellers and du Ponts, as well as the Hagley Museum and Batsto Furnace restorations.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of graphic materials related to J.B. Campbell and the Campbell Water Wheel Company. The bulk of the collection contains photographs of company projects, arranged alphabetically by client or contractor name. These include views of water wheels, turbines, and water supply systems during various stages of installation. There are also views of mills, dams, flumes, hydroelectric power plants, irrigation gates, swimming pools, and hydraulic machinery. Installations for clients such as Henry Ford and members of the du Pont and Rockefeller families are among those pictured. There are also plot plans showing the water supply system from a water wheel on the estate of F. King Wainwright in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
The collection also contains views of the company shop and truck, as well as the company's displays at the Philadelphia Flower Show and the West Chester Flower Show. In addition, there are many miscellaneous photographs of springs and waterfalls, including Paradise Falls, Marshalls Falls, Bushkill Falls, and waterfalls at Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. Waterfalls are also pictured in a group of lantern slides, along with overshot water wheels, turbines, and some company projects.
The collection also includes a number of J.B. Campbell's personal photographs of his family and children, his home, family tombstones, and trips, etc. There are also a number of scenic postcards with views primarily of Arizona. Other miscellaneous items in the collection include a color lithograph titled "View of the Island Virginius, In the Shenandoah, At Harper's Ferry," by E. Sachse & Co., Baltimore; a color reproduction of the painting "The Old Red Mill" by Jasper F. Cropsey; and a survey of Cayuga Lake done by J.B. Campbell while a student at Cornell University College of Engineering, 1912.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Access to view lantern slides is at the discretion of the conservator. Please inquire in advance of your visit.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- J.B. Campbell Waterwheel Company photographs, part 1
- Author:
- Laura Detrick
- Date:
- 2013
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository
