HAER and Electrica Engineering

Founded in 1969, the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) is an office within the National Park Service responsible for developing an archival collection of photographs, measured drawings, and written reports documenting America´s technological heritage. Maintained within the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, the HAER Collection includes documentation on several sites significant in electrical engineering history. This paper provides background on the organization, philosophy, and history of HAER while discussing in detail three HAER projects of particular interest to IEEE members. These projects recorded the 1902 Michigan Lake Superior Power Company hydroelectric station at Sault Ste. Marie, MI, theo 1901-1911 Northern California Power Company system of hydroelectric plants on Battle Creek near Red Bluff, CA, and the 1907 Georgetown Steam Plant in Seattle, WA. The paper also includes information on how researchers can utilize the HAER Collection at the Library of Congress.