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Folded plate from Mr. Sullivan's description of a cheap, durable rail road, and certain routes, in the states of New York and New-Jersey.

Descriptive

Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = other); (type = text)
Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections)
Extension
DescriptiveEvent
Type
Digital exhibition
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Perrone, Fernanda.
AssociatedEntity
Role
project manager
Name
Radick, Caryn.
AssociatedEntity
Role
metadata contact
Name
De Fino, Melissa.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition case
Relationship
Forms part of
Name
The Father of American Railroads
Detail
John Stevens (1749-1838) was the scion of a prominent family in colonial New Jersey. During the Revolutionary War he served as state treasurer. In the postwar period he became intrigued by experiments in steam navigation by men such as John Fitch. At his estate at Castle Point in Hoboken, Stevens devoted the rest of his life to experimenting with the application of steam to travel on water and land. Frustrated by the steamboat monopoly given to Robert Fulton by New York, he turned his attention to the new technology of railroads.
In 1812, he wrote the first American publication promoting the advantages of “steam carriages” over canals, which has been called “the birth certificate of all railroads in the United States.” He prevailed on the New Jersey legislature in 1815 to pass an act “to erect a Rail-Road from the River Delaware, near Trenton, to the River Raritan, at or near New Brunswick”—the first American railroad charter. The law said nothing, however, about what kind of motive power would be used. Stevens was not able to raise funds for the project. In 1825, at age seventy-six, Stevens built on his estate an experimental steam engine “for propelling a carriage on railways.” Guests were delighted to ride at six miles per hour on “the circle at the Hoboken Hotel.” Five years later, the Camden and Amboy Railroad was chartered, and his sons Robert L. and Edwin A. became officers in the fledgling company. When the John Bull locomotive arrived from England in 1831, the old inventor hosted a grand celebration at his estate. John Stevens had lived to see his vision realized.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition caption
Detail
John Langdon Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan’s description of a cheap, durable Rail Road, and certain Routes, in the States of New-York and New-Jersey (1827?) An engineering and economic analysis that deals with highways and railroads, including the elevated railway depicted in the sketch. In the section “Comparative advantages of a Railway through New-Jersey,” the author argues in favor of a railroad instead of the proposed Delaware and Raritan Canal.
TitleInfo
Title
Folded plate from Mr. Sullivan's description of a cheap, durable rail road, and certain routes, in the states of New York and New-Jersey.
RelatedItem (type = is part of)
TitleInfo
Title
Mr. Sullivan's description of a cheap, durable rail road, and certain routes, in the states of New York and New-Jersey / John L. Sullivan (1827?) Frontispiece.
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
Identifier (type = local)
rucore00000002143
TypeOfResource
StillImage
OriginInfo
DateIssued (encoding = iso8601); (keyDate = yes); (qualifier = approximate)
1827
Identifier (type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore00000002143.Document.000063101
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3862FJZ
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Rights

RightsDeclaration (AUTHORITY = RU_Archives); (ID = RU_Archives_v1)
Rutgers University owns the copyright in this work. You may make use of this resource, with proper attribution, for educational and other non-commercial uses only. Contact the Special Collections and University Archives of the Rutgers University Libraries to obtain permission for reproduction, publication, and commercial use.
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Source

Shelving
Locator (TYPE = Call number)
HE2771.N5S949
Note
SNCLX
ProvenanceEvent
Type
Exhibition
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
Place
Special Collections and University Archives Gallery.
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (point = start); (qualifier = exact)
2011-10-27
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (point = end); (qualifier = exact)
2012-01-06
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Perrone, Fernanda.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition case
Relationship
Forms part of
Name
Case 2 : The father of American railroads.
Detail
John Stevens (1749-1838) was the scion of a prominent family in colonial New Jersey. During the Revolutionary War he served as state treasurer. In the postwar period he became intrigued by experiments in steam navigation by men such as John Fitch. At his estate at Castle Point in Hoboken, Stevens devoted the rest of his life to experimenting with the application of steam to travel on water and land. Frustrated by the steamboat monopoly given to Robert Fulton by New York, he turned his attention to the new technology of railroads.
In 1812, he wrote the first American publication promoting the advantages of “steam carriages” over canals, which has been called “the birth certificate of all railroads in the United States.” He prevailed on the New Jersey legislature in 1815 to pass an act “to erect a Rail-Road from the River Delaware, near Trenton, to the River Raritan, at or near New Brunswick”—the first American railroad charter. The law said nothing, however, about what kind of motive power would be used. Stevens was not able to raise funds for the project. In 1825, at age seventy-six, Stevens built on his estate an experimental steam engine “for propelling a carriage on railways.” Guests were delighted to ride at six miles per hour on “the circle at the Hoboken Hotel.” Five years later, the Camden and Amboy Railroad was chartered, and his sons Robert L. and Edwin A. became officers in the fledgling company. When the John Bull locomotive arrived from England in 1831, the old inventor hosted a grand celebration at his estate. John Stevens had lived to see his vision realized.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition caption
Detail
[John Langdon Sullivan] Mr. Sullivan’s description of a cheap, durable Rail Road, and certain Routes, in the States of New-York and New-Jersey (n.p., 1827?) An engineering and economic analysis that deals with highways and railroads, including the elevated railway depicted in the sketch. In the section “Comparative advantages of a Railway through New-Jersey,” the author argues in favor of a railroad instead of the proposed Delaware and Raritan canal.
ProvenanceEvent
Type
Related publication
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930 : exhibition catalog.
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (qualifier = exact)
2011
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)
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Technical

ContentModel
Document
DateCreated (encoding = iso8601); (qualifier = exact)
2011-08-24
OperatingSystem (VERSION = v. 105.8)
Mac OSX
BasicImageCharacteristics
ImageWidth
6876
ImageHeight
5107
Orientation
DisplayOrientation
Normal
ImageOrientation
Normal
GeneralCaptureInformation
CaptureDevice
reflection print scanner
Scanner
Manufacturer
Epson
Model (SERIALNUMBER = FVS0015678)
Expression 10000 XL
MaximumOpticalResolution
600
Software (VERSION = 3.46A (Universal))
EPSON Scan
MimeType (TYPE = file)
image/tiff
MimeType (TYPE = container)
application/x-tar
FileSize (UNIT = bytes)
105359360
Checksum (METHOD = SHA1)
f05434c4a7008ec615ee57e3e8b7246aeb6d1c1e
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