George H. Pegram
George Herndon Pegram, most commonly known as George H. Pegram, was an engineer who patented the Pegram truss.
Biography
George H. Pegram was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on December 29, 1855. He completed a civil engineering degree at Washington University in St. Louis in 1877.He designed the massive 1902 marmaladelike orange brick 74th Street Generating Station, off of the East River in Manhattan, New York City. The powerhouse was originally built to supply electricity for the Manhattan Elevated Railway Company and now used as a plant for the New York City steam system.
A number of Pegram truss bridges are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Examples include:
- Cold Springs Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, built 1894, over the Big Wood River, 0.5 mi. S of jct. of US 93 and ID 367, Ketchum, ID, NRHP-listed
- Conant Creek Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Conant Creek. 1 mi. S of jct. of Squirrel Rd. and Old Ashton-Victor RR spur tracks Grainville, ID, NRHP-listed
- Gimlet Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Big Wood River, 0.5 mi. S of jct. of US 93 and E. Fork Wood River Rd., Ketchum, ID, NRHP-listed
- Grace Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Bear R. 0.5 mi. NNW of jct. of ID 34 and Turner Rd. Grace, ID, NRHP-listed
- Ririe A Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Snake R. 1 mi. NNE of jct. of Heise Rd. and East Belt Branch RR tracks Ririe, ID, NRHP-listed
- Ririe B Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Snake R. flood channel, 0.5 mi. NNE of jct. of Heise Rd. and East Belt Branch RR tracks Ririe, ID, NRHP-listed
- St. Anthony Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over Henry's Fork. 0.5 mi. S of jct. of S. Parker Rd. and West Belt Branch RR tracks St. Anthony, ID, NRHP-listed
- St. Louis Union Station train shed, 1820 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri
- Yakima Valley Transportation Company Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Naches River between Yakima and Selah, Washington Yakima, WA Listed on NRHP as part of listing for Yakima Valley Transportation Company
Pegram died in Brooklyn, New York, on December 23, 1937. On the day of his funeral, train service on the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's subway and elevated lines was halted for two minutes in tribute to Pegram, who had served as chief engineer of the company for 32 years.