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Charles P. Harman family papers

 Collection
Identifier: Coll714

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and newspapers or other publications relating to the career of Charles P. Harman, particularly his work at the Swan Island shipyard during World War II and at Detroit Dam in the early 1950s. Publications in the collection include issues of The Bo's'n's Whistle and Mill City Enterprise. The collection also includes materials relating to the family of Charles Harman's nephew Halray Harman, such as an Oregon State College student directory owned by Halray's mother, and family photographs depicting the Enterprise, Oregon, area. Additional materials include memoranda sent to Swan Island shipyard workers, photographs relating to the Grand Coulee Dam, images of Multnomah Falls and of the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, and photographs of Oregon and Washington locations.

Dates

  • Creation: 1936-1980
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1942-1951

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing 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.

Biographical / Historical

Charles P. Harman was born in 1908 in Glasgow, Montana, and worked as an engineer on the Fort Peck Dam in that state before working for Kaiser Engineers on the Grand Coulee Dam project. He worked for Kaiser for the next 38 years, working at the Swan Island shipyard during World War II and on the Detroit Dam in the early 1950s. His spouse was Ruth Emma Harman. He died in 1986, and was buried in Montana.

Harlay ("Skip" or "Skipper") Harman (1948-2001) was the son of Joseph Sherrard Harman and Lillian Elizabeth Gottenberg Harman, and the nephew of Charles Price Harman, Jr. He was raised in Enterprise, Oregon, but spent most of his adult life in the Salem, Oregon, area.

Extent

1.85 Cubic Feet (1 legal document case; 1 slim legal document case; 2 flat boxes (13x16); 1 flat box (14x18))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Photographs, publications, and ephemera relating to Charles P. Harman, Jr. (1908-1986) and Harlay Harman (1948-2001). Charles P. Harman, Jr. was an engineer who worked for the Kaiser Company at the Swan Island shipyard and the Detroit Dam; Harlay Harman was his nephew.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series: Series A. Swan Island shipyard materials; Series B. Detroit Dam materials; Series C. Halray Harman papers; Series D. Other materials.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Carolyn R. Scott and Charles P. Harman III, September 2006 (Lib. Acc. 26064).

Separated Materials

Four yearbooks were separated to serials collections, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Title
Guide to the Charles P. Harman family papers
Status
Completed
Author
Jeffrey A. Hayes
Date
2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240