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Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Accession 18-095

National Museum of American History

Curatorial Records, 1946-2001

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:National Museum of American History
Title:Curatorial Records
Dates:1946-2001
Quantity:3 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes)
Collection:Accession 18-095
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

This accession consists of curatorial records that document the research and work of Robert C. Post. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1973, Post was hired as a museum technician in the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, National Museum of History and Technology (NMHT). From 1974-1977, Post was a Special Assistant to Director, Brooke Hindle, NMHT; from 1977-1979 he was the supervising historian for the Exhibits Task Force, NMHT; from 1979-1980 he was the senior editor for Smithsonian Books; from 1980-1982 he was a curator, Division of Transportation, National Museum of American History (NMAH); from 1983-1994 he was curator at large under Director, Roger G. Kennedy; from 1994-1995 he was the Associate Director, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, NMAH; and then from 1996 he was Curator Emeritus, NMAH.These records primarily document Post's research for his publication, "Urban Mass Transit: The Life Story of a Technology," first published in 2007 with a revised edition published in 2010. The book covered urban transportation, including subways and street-railroads across the United States. Some materials date to before Post was at the National Museum of American History. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, articles, newsletters, magazines, clippings, and other related materials.

Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of curatorial records that document the research and work of Robert C. Post. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1973, Post was hired as a museum technician in the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, National Museum of History and Technology (NMHT). From 1974-1977, Post was a Special Assistant to Director, Brooke Hindle, NMHT; from 1977-1979 he was the supervising historian for the Exhibits Task Force, NMHT; from 1979-1980 he was the senior editor for Smithsonian Books; from 1980-1982 he was a curator, Division of Transportation, National Museum of American History (NMAH); from 1983-1994 he was curator at large under Director, Roger G. Kennedy; from 1994-1995 he was the Associate Director, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, NMAH; and then from 1996 he was Curator Emeritus, NMAH.

These records primarily document Post's research for his publication, Urban Mass Transit: The Life Story of a Technology, first published in 2007 with a revised edition published in 2010. The book covered urban transportation, including subways and street-railroads across the United States. Some materials date to before Post was at the National Museum of American History. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, articles, newsletters, magazines, clippings, and other related materials.

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 18-095, National Museum of American History, Curatorial Records

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Container List

Box 1

"The Abandonment of Pacific Electric Rail Passenger Service," by Robert C. Post, 1959

Box 1 of 3

"Remembering the Red Cards and Why It Matters," by Robert C. Post - Henry E. Huntington Library, 1997

Box 1 of 3

"The Myth Behind the Streetcar Revival," by Robert C. Post, American Heritage Magazine, May/June 1998

Box 1 of 3

"Fourteenth and G, Washington, D.C., Summer of '41" by Robert C. Post - Technology & Culture, Journal of the Society for the History of Technology, October 1998

Box 1 of 3

"Images of the Pacific Electric: Why Memories Matter" by Robert C. Post, Railroad History, Autumn 1998

Box 1 of 3

Auto Club of Southern California - Symposium, 1996

Box 1 of 3

Transportation Research Board, 1999

Box 1 of 3

Detroit Forum, 1997-1999

Box 1 of 3

Documentary film - "Taken for a Ride," 1997

Box 1 of 3

Correspondence - Donald Davis, 1997-2000

Box 1 of 3

Correspondence - Matt Roth, 1996

Box 1 of 3

Correspondence - Street railcars, 1963, 1966, 1971, and undated

Box 1 of 3

Correspondence - Van Wilkins, 1998-1999

Box 1 of 3

Correspondence - General, 1966, 1983, 1996-2001

Box 1 of 3

Critique - Transport of Delight: The Mythical Conception of Rail Transit in Los Angeles by Jonathan E. D. Richmond, 1998

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Baltimore railways, 1998-1999

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Boston railways, 1961

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Chicago railways, 1974, 1980

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Cleveland, Ohio railways, 1955

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Conspiracy: Pacific City Lines and GM, 1970s-1990s (2 folders)

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Denver, Colorado railways, 1961

Box 1 of 3

Subject - European subways, 1970

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Great Britain railways, 1989-1998

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Los Angeles history, Pacific Electric, 1971

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Los Angeles history, Rapid transit, 1968-1970 (2 folders)

Box 1 of 3

Subject - Los Angeles history, 1980s-1990s (Folder 1 of 4 folders)

Box 1 of 3

Box 2

Subject - Los Angeles history, 1980s-1990s (Folders 2-4 of 4 folders)

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Montreal railways, 1961

Box 2 of 3

Subject - New Orleans railways, undated

Box 2 of 3

Subject - New York City railways, 1952-1966, 1995-1998

Box 2 of 3

Subject - New York State railways, 1950-1951

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Phoenix, Arizona railways, 1961

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania railways, 1958, 1991, 1998

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania railways, 1952-1974

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Portland, Oregon railways, 1951

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Rail fares

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Railway museums, 1961

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Railways, miscellaneous, 1944-1966

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Salt Lake City railways, 1998

Box 2 of 3

Subject - San Diego railways, 1961-1964

Box 2 of 3

Subject - San Diego railways - Railway Historical Society of San Diego, California - Dispatcher magazine, 1960-1965

Box 2 of 3

Subject - San Francisco railways, 1946-1973

Box 2 of 3

Subject - St. Louis, Missouri railways, 1941

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Stealth airplanes, technology, and defense spending, 1980s-2000s (3 folders)

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Street and electric railways, 1986-2003 (2 folders)

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Texas railways, 1983-1998

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Toronto, Canada railways, 1945-1963

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Vancouver, Canada railways, 1949

Box 2 of 3

Subject - Washington, D.C. railways, 1972-1999

Box 2 of 3

Box 3

Electric Railroads Association, Inc. (ERA) - Headlights magazine, 1952-1972 (5 folders)

Box 3 of 3

ERA - Headlights magazine - Indexes, 1950-1970

Box 3 of 3

ERA - Miscellaneous items, 1960s-1970s

Box 3 of 3

Timepoints newsletter, September 1952

Box 3 of 3

Clippings, circa 1950-2000 (4 folders)

Box 3 of 3

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