History

Toll facilities need more of their history written and/or, what is it, websited? Internetified? The New York State Bridge Authority does some nice stuff in its annual reports and the Pennsylvania Turnpike had a local historian do a readable history in booklet form. But most don’t have much. After everyday service, a sense of the history is basic to gaining public interest and goodwill, which is needed for sustaining institutional legitimacy. There’s no support like outside public support!

Look at “Building the Washington Metro: An Online Exhibit” (hnm.gmu.edu/metro) It explores the history of the Washington Metro rapid transit system from the 1940s to the present, and is divided into five image galleries covering planning, engineering, architecture, construction, and operation. Among the 70 images included are maps, construction photographs, architectural sketches, and engineering diagrams, as well as unofficial images, such as a real estate ads inspired by Metro. A survey page records the experiences of Metro’s designers, builders, neighbors, and riders. The thing was researched and written by Zachary Schrag, a PhD candidate in American history at Columbia Uni NYC who is writing a dissertation on the history of the Washington Metro from 1955 to the present. Research was financed by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, administered by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Design assistance came from Dan Cohen and others at George Mason Uni’s Center for History & New Media. (contact zms2@columbia.edu)