Itasca State Park Oral History Project: Interview with Edward Barber

Titles: Itasca State Park Oral History Project: Interview with Edward Barber (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Edward Barber earned his degree in architectural engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1931. He served as architect for the National Park Service and Minnesota General Design Office from 1933-1941 and designed many of the buildings at Itasca. From 1941-1945 he served as Chief of Building and Structures for the 7th Corps Service Command, US Army, Omaha. After 1945 he moved to Lake City and started an architectural company. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How he became involved with the National Park Service (NPS); the design of the Old Timer's Cabin; the picnic shelter, ice and woodhouse at Itasca; Barber's work at Scenic State Park - trails, buildings; the closing of the Minnesota Design Office; Barber's work with the War Department in Omaha; reflections on his family; the difficulties of using native stone; light fixtures for the buildings; various other structures he worked on in Minnesota; miscellaneous small talk; his failure to visit Itasca and northern Minnesota; his work in church architecture.

Dates

• 05/08/1994 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Barber, E. W.
• interviewer: Thoma, Ben
• interviewer: Lynne, Gladwin

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 102
• Accession Number: AV2003.42.1

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Itasca State Park Oral History Project' <OH 102>

Quantity: 3 hours sound cassette 51 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 90 minutes length

Subjects

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