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History and Heritage
Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them. Image at right: Great Western Railway - Box Tunnel [Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built between 1835 and 1841. The GWR demonstrated Brunel's ability to innovate and his engineering genius. Notable works still surviving on the line include Box Tunnel, Sonning Cutting, Maidenhead Bridge, the Wharncliffe Viaduct, and Paddington Station.] Civil engineers build the world's infrastructure. In doing so, they shape the history of nations around the world. Most times, it is so ubiquitous that people take it for granted. On this site, you will find information on the distinguished civil engineers throughout the ages who used their ingenuity, knowledge and experience to create projects that have improved the quality of life over the centuries. In addition, there is a database of all the national and international projects that have been named by ASCE to be Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. Links to other history-related sites and materials are also provided as is information on the history of ASCE and the different aspects of it's History & Heritage Program. ASCE DEDICATES TWO NEW INTERNATIONAL HISTORIC CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARKS A delegation of ASCE members participated in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford in Scotland in early July. Telford, who was born in that country in 1757 and who became the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, left his mark on the infrastructure of the United Kingdom. Many of his contributions to civil engineering still stand and operate in northern Scotland, demonstrating the enduring nature of well-designed works and the inspiration that can be derived from a knowledge of the profession’s history and heritage. The American contingent attending the symposium and subsequent tour of Telford sites in northern Scotland consisted of Allen Beene, who was ASCE President Bill Marcuson’s official representative; Henry Petroski, chair of the Society’s History and Heritage Committee; David Gilbert and Emory Kemp, members of the committee; and Jerry Rogers, past-chair and now corresponding member of the committee. As part of the tour, two new International Historic civil Engineering Landmarks were dedicated. On July 4th, the plaque for Telford’s famous Craigellachie Bridge was unveiled by Allen Beene, who noted the significance of its bearing the logos of both the ASCE and the ICE. The Craigellachie Bridge, although modest in span by today’s standards, is one of Telford’s masterpieces and is the oldest surviving example of his cast-iron bridges that did so much to advance the art of building the shallow metal arch in the early nineteenth century. After this dedication, which attracted approximately 150 onlookers and was reported on by the Scottish media, the delegation made its way to Burghead, where Telford designed harbor works and a nearby granary. The delegation’s next destination was Telford’s famous Caledonian Canal. This inland waterway, which joins the North and Irish seas, was at the time of its construction and for a century beyond one of the world’s greatest civil engineering achievements. During an evening cruise aboard the Jacobite Queen along the canal and into the northern end of Loch Ness, Allan Beene presented the plaque recognizing the Caledonian Canal as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark to the Chairman of British Waterways, the entity that oversaw the refurbishment and now operates the historic water link The Thomas Telford Symposium at the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the tour of the engineer’s historic works showed the rich heritage of civil engineering that exists in Scotland and, by extension, throughout the world. Although Telford did not have a direct influence on American civil engineering structures, his genius did influence them posthumously, and it was fitting that a delegation of American civil engineers paid tribute to the engineer who was also instrumental in ensuring the success of the Institution of Civil Engineers and thereby inspiring the founding of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
In the photo, left to right: Allen Beene, Dr. Emory Kemp, Reg Wallace (Chair- CSCE History Committee), Brian Crossley (Chair- ICE Panel for Historic Engineering Works), Dr. Henry Petroski (Chair- ASCE History & Heritage Committee), Dr. Alistair MacKenzie (CSCE), David Gilbert, Dr. Jerry Rogers, and Dr. Ron Cox (Ireland). Not shown were Dr. Roland Paxton, ICE-PHEW Vice Chair and Telford Tour Coordinator and Quentin Lieper- President- ICE. Since that day, the university has grown to become a four-campus system of about 45,000 students, with general campuses at Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver, and a Health Sciences Center at Denver. CU-Boulder, with a total enrollment of more than 26,000 students, is the largest and most comprehensive campus in the system |
Civil Engineering History Committee Leaders/Friends: "THUMBS UP FOR THOMAS TELFORD DURING THE 250th ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH (1757-2007)" at the IHCEL Plaque Ceremony for the Moray Council's CRAIGELLACHIE BRIDGE over the River Spey, Scotland: 
The College of Engineering was established in 1893 as the School of Applied Science.