Philip Buehner papers, 1876-1919
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Buehner, Philip, 1858-1940
- Title
- Philip Buehner papers
- Dates
- 1876-1919 (inclusive)18761919
- Quantity
- 0.33 cubic feet, (1 slim legal document case; 1 custom box 14.5 x 11.25 x 1 inches)
- Collection Number
- Mss 82
- Summary
- Papers and records relating to the business interests of Philip Buehner (1858-1940), an engineer and lumberman. Buehner developed municipal water-supply projects in Washington state and Oregon, and, in partnership with with Wolff & Zwicker Iron Works, supplied pipelines for the Bull Run water system for Portland, Oregon. Buehner also operated multiple Oregon lumber companies.
- Repository
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Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical Note
Philip Buehner was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1858. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1879, with a degree in mechanical engineering. He moved west in 1884, and built municipal water-supply projects for various cities in Washington state, including Seattle, Yakima, and Spokane. In 1887, he moved to Portland, Oregon, and in the early 1890s, he formed a partnership with Wolff & Zwicker Iron Works (called Wolff, Zwicker, & Buehner), which manufactured the pipes used to construct the Bull Run water system for Portland. He later became a lumberman, operating the Western Lumber Company (which merged to form the Eastern and Western Lumber Company), the Carlton Lumber Company in Carlton, Oregon, and the Buehner Lumber Company in North Bend, Oregon, before retiring in 1927. He also operated the Buehner Investment Company.
Buehner married Martha Habighorst in 1883, and they had three children. Philip Buehner died in 1940.
Sources: Sources: "Death Takes Lumberman: Philip Buehner, 82, Bull Run Builder," Oregonian, October 16, 1940, Page 14; "A Great Plant: Where the Pipes for the Bull Run System Were Made," Oregonian, January 1, 1895, Second Part, Page 18; collection materials.
Content Description
This collection consists primarily of records and papers relating to Philip Buehner's business activities. A significant quantity of this material is business-related correspondence, some of which relates to Buehner's work on water-supply projects in Seattle, Spokane, and Yakima, Washington. Also included is an 1893 agreement between Wolff & Zwicker Iron Works and Philip Buehner to enter into a contract with Hoffman & Bates to manufacture a steel conduit to bring Bull Run River water to the city of Portland, Oregon; materials relating to the Buehner Lumber Company, including a price list and minute book; patent records; contracts; rules and regulations of various water companies; and receipts. In addition to the business materials, the collection includes a draft will for Henry Habighorst, Buehner's father-in-law.
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation
Philip Buehner papers, Mss 82, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Materials originally designated as Mss 82 were the gift of Philip Buehner, October 1965 (Lib. Acc. 10185); materials previously designated as Mss 82-1 were the gift of the Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, are of Betty Johnstone, March 1980 (Lib. Acc. 15063).
Processing Note
Collection was processed and described by Mikki Tint in 2005 and 2006. Collection guide was revised by Katie Mayer in October 2024 to eliminate series, expand biographical information, and conform to curent standard. The materials in folders 4-23 of Box 1 and the minute book in Box 2 were previously designated as Mss 82-1.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Wolff & Zwicker Iron Works agreementsDates: 1893-1894Container: Box 1, Folder 1
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Description: Patents, U.S. and CanadaDates: 1914Container: Box 1, Folder 2
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Description: Buehner Lumber Company, Buehner CompanyDates: 1917-1919Container: Box 1, Folder 3
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Description: Buehner Lumber Company minute bookDates: 1910-1917Container: Box 2
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Description: Regulations regarding miscellaneous water companiesDates: 1876-1884Container: Box 1, Folder 4
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Description: ContractsDates: 1889-1892Container: Box 1, Folder 5
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Description: ReceiptsDates: 1890-1892Container: Box 1, Folder 6
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Description: Payroll recordsDates: 1890 June-JulyContainer: Box 1, Folder 7
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1888-1889Container: Box 1, Folder 8
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 JanuaryContainer: Box 1, Folder 9
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 FebruaryContainer: Box 1, Folder 10
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 MarchContainer: Box 1, Folder 11
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 AprilContainer: Box 1, Folder 12
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 MayContainer: Box 1, Folder 13
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 JuneContainer: Box 1, Folder 14
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 JulyContainer: Box 1, Folder 15
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 AugustContainer: Box 1, Folder 16
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 SeptemberContainer: Box 1, Folder 17
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 OctoberContainer: Box 1, Folder 18
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 NovemberContainer: Box 1, Folder 19
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Description: Incoming lettersDates: 1892 DecemberContainer: Box 1, Folder 20
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Description: Outgoing letterDates: 1892 SeptemberContainer: Box 1, Folder 21
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Description: Other correspondenceDates: 1888-1892Container: Box 1, Folder 22
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Description: Draft of Henry Habighorst's willDates: 1884Container: Box 1, Folder 23
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Business enterprises--Oregon
- Businessmen--Oregon--Portland
- Lumbermen--Oregon--Portland
- Public works--Oregon--Portland
- Water-supply engineering--Northwest, Pacific
- Water-supply engineers--Northwest, Pacific
Personal Names
- Buehner, Philip, 1858-1940
Corporate Names
- Buehner Lumber Company--Records and correspondence
Form or Genre Terms
- business records
- correspondence
- minute books
- patents
