William Howe (architect)

William Howe
Born (1803-05-12)May 12, 1803
Spencer, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died September 19, 1852(1852-09-19) (aged 49)
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation Architect, engineer

William Howe (May 12, 1803 – September 9, 1852) was an American architect and bridge builder famous for patenting the Howe truss design for bridges in 1840.[1]

Life and career

William Howe was born on May 12, 1803, in Spencer, Massachusetts,[2] to Elias Jr. and Polly (née Bemis) Howe. His father owned a sawmill,[3] and William was one of nine children. He was a hard-working child, and learned carpentry and construction at an early age. After successfully completing an apprenticeship in carpentry, he enrolled and graduated from Leicester Academy in Leicester, Massachusetts.[2]

Howe married Azubah Stone, daughter of a Charlton, Massachusetts, farmer (and sister of Amasa Stone) in 1828.[4] The Howe family was an inventive one. Howe's brother, Elias Howe, patented the first viable sewing machine. His other brother, Tyler Howe, invented the box spring bed.[5] William Howe established a career as a construction contractor, building homes and churches. He was particularly well-known for his churches.[2] But bridges were his primary interest, and he founded the Howe Bridge Works in 1840.[6]

In 1840, Howe was engaged to build a railroad bridge over the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts. This famous bridge was of a new, influential design—the Howe truss bridge, which Howe patented in 1840.[5] One of Howe's workmen, Amasa Stone, purchased for $40,000[7] ($949,733 in 2016 dollars) in 1842 the rights to Howe's patented bridge design. (Amasa Stone received financial backing from Azariah Boody, a Springfield businessman.)[8] The rights to the patent extended to bridges and structures erected only in New England.[7] That same year, the two men formed a bridge-building firm, Boody, Stone & Co.,[9] which erected a large number of Howe truss bridges throughout New England.[7]

Howe made additional improvements, and patented a second Howe truss design in 1846.[2]

William Howe suffered a severe carriage accident and died on September 19, 1852. He was buried in Springfield.[10]

References

  1. Raymond W. Smith (December 1977), Covered Bridges of Washington County TR / Buskirk, Rexleigh, Eagleville, and Shushan Covered Bridges (pdf), National Park Service
  2. 1 2 3 4 Johnson 1879, p. 360.
  3. Hendrickson 2015, p. 443.
  4. Daughters of the American Revolution 1898, p. 24.
  5. 1 2 Griggs, Frank Jr. (November 2014). "Springfield Bridge for Western Railroad". Structure. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  6. Knoblock 2012, p. 60.
  7. 1 2 3 Haddad 2007, p. 3.
  8. Gasparini, Dario (Winter 2003). "Historic Bridge News" (PDF). Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter: 14. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  9. Johnson 1879, p. 384.
  10. Allen 1943, p. 23.

Bibliography

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