RESOURCES: Essays

This page lists newly-written material, not (yet) published elsewhere. Some of it is extracts from the forthcoming book. Others contain much longer explorations of subjects that are only glanced at in the book: side trips, if you will.

»A History of the Nantucket Cliff Lighthouse Station (and the Origin of “The Shoe”)

James Gifford, October 2019

An exploration of where the famous family summer home known as "The Shoe" came from, with considerable background on the history of the light station from which the cottage and its light towers were taken. Only a fraction of this fits into the book.

»Mr. Gilbreth Builds a Mill Town

James Gifford, October 2019

A look at three complete paper mills built in the US between 1905 and 1907, complete from mill and dam down to worker housing. All three towns still exist; two of the mills are still operating. Again, a ton of fascinating background information of which only a few paragraphs were needed in the book.

»The Construction Projects of Frank B. Gilbreth, General Contractor

James Gifford, November 2019

The first attempt at a complete record of the construction projects of Frank Gilbreth during the construction years, 1895–1912. Eighty-nine projects are listed, many unjustly forgotten.

• UPDATE: This summary has been updated, expanded to include six case studies and published as a paper:

Gifford, James, “Frank B. Gilbreth, General Contractor: construction projects 1895–1910,” Construction History Journal, v.36, no.1 (Spring 2021), pp69–96.

• UPDATE: My complete research files have been added to the material here in the form of a separate wiki. Please visit if you're interested by the above material, and note that I am open to contributions from anyone who has additional information or can do local research.
• FINAL UPATE: The further research and effort that went into the new wiki has completely outdated this early effort. I am leaving it in place for archival purposes, but it is a mere curiosity, not a useful guide to Frank Gilbreth's career. See the considerably updated and “live” listing of the wiki instead.