Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Estus H. Magoon Collection
Date(s)
- 1925-1954 (Creation)
Extent
9 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Estus. H. Magoon was a civil engineer who worked for the Rockefeller Foundation as part of the International Health Division. He designed and built sewer systems, water supply plants, and other sanitation and plumbing projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr. Magoon kept detailed reports and statements of his projects between 1925 and 1954. Furthermore, he kept diaries for the Rockefeller Foundation between 1935 and 1951. The diaries contain specific descriptions of the projects and countries in which he worked during this period as well as notes about his personal life.
E. H. Magoon spent much of his time working in Cuba, Nicaragua and Panama. He established his office in Havana from 1935 to 1947. He worked in numerous cities in Cuba, including Camaguey, Marianao, Varadero and Bayamo, and describes in detail the projects he worked on in each city. Among the many projects were building water plants, properly disposing of waste and refuse, and the malaria problem in the Caribbean region.
On August 1, 1947 Mr. Magoon moved his office to Miami and bought a home in Coral Gables. However, he continued to work on health and sanitation projects throughout Latin America and the Caribbean through 1954. We were not able to verify the place and date of his death.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The collection contains reports and photographs of Estus H. Magoon, a civil engineer who worked on various public health projects in Latin America and the Caribbean during the period of 1925 to 1954. In this collection are included notes on drainage engineering projects in Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, etc. It also includes over 1800 photographs of Latin American and Caribbean subjects. About 70% of the photographs measure 4 1/2" by 2 1/2". Most of the photographs are of a technical nature showing construction sites and processes, but many views showing living conditions are included as well. The bulk of the photographs are from Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia and Jamaica. The documents on drainage engineering projects were received as a gift in 1984. The photographs were purchased from David Holloway, a bookseller in South Miami, in 1989.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please, contact chc@miami.edu for more information.
Preferred citation: Estus H. Magoon Collection, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- English
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Part of this collection was received as a gift in 1984. Photographs were purchased from David Holloway in 1989.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Selected materials from this collection have been digitized.
https://digitalcollections.library.miami.edu/digital/collection/chc0126
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding aid revised and published online by María R. Estorino, August 2008. Updated by Rebeca Gonzalez, May 2021.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Rockefeller Foundation. International Health Division (Subject)
- Magoon, Estus H. -- Diaries (Subject)