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Joseph Nelson Hicks photograph collection

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Held at: Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections [Contact Us]W. W. Hagerty Library, 3300 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

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Joseph Nelson Hicks graduated from the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry in 1927 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Mr. Hicks is believed to have gone to work for the John A. Roebling's Sons Company after he graduated. The Roebling Company was involved in the development and manufacturing of wire rope and shortly thereafter began building suspension bridges (including the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883). It is believed that Mr. Hicks worked on the construction of the St. Johns Bridge, which spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in 1930 and 1931. Little is known of Mr. Hicks's life. It appears that he lived in Wilkes Barre at the time of his death in 1990.

This collection consists of Mr. Hicks's diploma from Drexel, dated 1927; a black-and-white photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge, dated Christmas 1937, which accompanied the diploma; and a photo album containing black-and-white photos of the construction of St. Johns Bridge. The photos are dated 1930 and 1931 and portray the workers who built the bridge, general shots of the bridge, and construction details. The collection is arranged into two series: 1. Photographs, 1930-1931 (arranged chronologically within a scrapbook) and 1937; 2. Diploma, 1927.

According to documentation found in the Drexel University Archives, the collection was donated by James J. Bohning, Mr. Hicks's former neighbor.

Publisher
Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections
Finding Aid Date
2010

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