Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Robert D. Graham Papers, 1903-1973
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Graham, R. D. (Robert D.)
- Title
- Robert D. Graham Papers
- Dates
- 1903-1973 (inclusive)19031973
1949-1973 (bulk)19491973 - Quantity
- 2.6 cubic feet, including 500 photographs, (5 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
- Collection Number
- MSS GrahamRobert
- Summary
- The Robert D. Graham Papers consist of research project files, reference materials, and photographs pertaining to wood preservation research and the wood preservation industry. Graham was Professor of Forest Products at Oregon State University and in charge of wood preservation studies at the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory and Forest Research Laboratory from 1948 until his retirement in 1982.
- Repository
-
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
Preliminary container list available online.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Robert Douglas Graham was Professor of Forest Products at Oregon State University and in charge of wood preservation studies at the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory and Forest Research Laboratory from 1948 until his retirement in 1982. Graham earned his BS degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1941 and his MS in forest products from Oregon State College in 1947. Graham died in Corvallis, Oregon, on April 26, 2004.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Robert D. Graham Papers consist of research project files created and assembled by Graham in his work in wood preservation studies with the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory and Forest Research Laboratory and materials pertaining to wood preservation assembled by Graham, which are identified as the Wood Preservation Collection.
The research project files are primarily arranged by project and include correspondence, reports, research data, Graham's daily log of activities, and photographic prints and negatives of equipment and wood samples. The projects address a wide range of topics including the use of wood products and by-products for a variety of uses; development and testing of equipment; testing of laminates; treatment with creosote and creosote coal tar; pressure treating; improved mill burner and stack performance to reduce air pollution; and studies of power poles and other wood products, especially for the Bonneville Power Administration. The photographs consist of both 4x5 camera negatives and prints.
The Wood Preservation Collection component of the papers consists of materials assembled by Graham pertaining to wood preservation research and the wood preservation industry. These materials include photographs, reports, and publications. Many of the photographs document creosoting, especially of railroad ties, and the development of wood products for the housing and construction industry, especially pre-fabricated structures. Some of the photographs may have been assembled by Richard (Dick) Alpen. Most of the photographs in this component of the collection are prints; many were taken by commercial or industry photographers.
Also of note in the Wood Preservation Collection are a report of experimental charges treated by the reuping process at the St. Helens (Oregon) Creosoting Company in 1912-1913 and a 1911 booklet, Wood Preservation and Creosoting by the Reuping Process, published in 1911 by Hulsberg and Company in Berlin.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Processing Note
This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.
Acquisition Information
The wood preservation collection materials were donated to the Archives by Graham in 1991; the research project files were transferred to the Archives from the Forest Products Department in 1999.
Related Materials
The Forest Products Department Records (RG 003) include extensive documentation of the research conducted in the department and at the Oregon Forest Products Laboratory. The Archives collections include the papers of other Forest Products faculty: S.E. Corder; Leif Espenas; Douglas W. Glennie; and James W. Johnson. Biographical information about Graham is available in the College of Forestry Records (RG 139).
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Building materials.
- Creosote.
- Forest products--Research--Oregon.
- Railroad ties--Preservation.
- Wood poles--Preservation-Oregon.
- Wood preservatives--Testing.
- Wood--Preservation--Oregon.
Corporate Names
- United States. Bonneville Power Administration.
Form or Genre Terms
- Film negatives.
- Photographic prints.
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Oregon Forest Products Laboratory. (creator)
- Oregon State University. Forest Research Laboratory. (creator)