William Howe (architect)
| William Howe | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 12, 1803 Spencer, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. 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] ($948,133 in 2025 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
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Johnson 1879, p. 360.
- ↑ Hendrickson 2015, p. 443.
- ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution 1898, p. 24.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Knoblock 2012, p. 60.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Haddad 2007, p. 3.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Johnson 1879, p. 384.
- ↑ Allen 1943, p. 23.
