Documents of Charles L. Carson,

Grandson of David and Sarah Tilden Hynson Carson

Directly below you'll find the transcript of a letter from Charles L. Carson to Rev. J. A. McCauley, President of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. Dated 14 Feb 1885. Charles had been selected to design the new Scientific Building for the college which was eventually named the Tome Scientific Building.

One of the things that strikes me from the letter below is the character of the man writing it. I'm guessing there was disappointment on behalf of the college about the exterior appearance of the building, and materials used when comparing the design of Chas. L. Carson to the finished product. From other sources on the internet, I gather that Carson was an architect of good reputation, who gave great thought to not only the practical, but to beauty. Rather than let his ego get in the way, he helps the president of the college take an objective view of the finished work. He basically says that if anyone has an axe to grind, it would be him who could be the target of critique on the appearance of a building he designed, and that he's sure that any shortcomings in construction were due to inexperience and not an intentional deviation from the accepted design. The contractor mentioned is noted as being Mr. A. J. Wetzell of Carlisle, Pa., on the college's website.

I will add some additional graphics in time.

Chas. L. Carson,
Architect,
S. E. Cor. Charles & Lexington Sts.

Baltimore, Febry 14^th 1885

Rev. J. A. McCauley

President Dickinson College,

Dear Sir, I herewith enclose an itemized bill, or statement of acct. with Mr. Wetzell Contractor for the Scientific Building which may be found servicable in the final settlement with him. In the adjustment of the acct. I have endeavored to be impartial and equitable to both sides alike and the result is based upon a strict regard for & interpretation of the requirements of the plans & specifications which form the basis of the Contract.

In many instances the plans & specifications seem to have been ignored & apparently set aside, & the work executed irrespective of the requirements therein set forth. as a consequence thereof, the accompanying list of omissions differences in quality of materials & for which you are fairly entitled to credits are carefully enumerated, and accounted for at prices quoted in Balto. Mr. W. of course being entitled to the privelege of disputing the sum, & placing his own values upon work & materials as against Balti. Thus _lears the matter with you for adjustment satisfactory to both parties to contract.

My comments may be briefly stated as follows; The work throughout is but fairly well done, & while the general appearance is good, the exterior detail of the building has suffered very materially from an evident imperfect perception of the working drawings & general spirit of the design, which were clearly set forth by full size & other drawings, but not appreciated or fully understood in the execution of the work, this may be attributed to inexperience on Mr. Wetzell's part rather than intention to evade carrying out any particular part of the design, to the contrary, I think he has done the best he knows now, & the result may be considered more unfortunate to the Architect than either party to the contract, but in as much as these architectural blemishes do not in any sense destroy the usefulness of the building for the purposes designed & have no signification other than that of inviting professional criticism that may be from a business standpoint, entirely overlooked & the work accepted, Trusting that you may reach an amicable settlement with Mr. Wetzell & thanking you for past favors I am with respect Yours Very Truly

Chas. L. Carson

Many thanks to Jane Schroeder for snail-mailing me the above copies of the letter. She is the Special Collections Coordinator & Reference Asst. of the Waidner-Spahr Library at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. These graphics are used with the college's permission.

Mentions of Charles L. Carson on the Internet

1. A very nice bio-piece on Charles can be found at the site of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation in Baltimore, Md, of which he was one of the founding members of the Baltimore Chapter in 1870.
2. The Berea of Seventh Day Adventists, built in 1892 as synagogue for Baltimore Hebrew Congregation & Strawbridge Church in Bolton Hill, Balto., Md.
3. The Bosler Library Building at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa, built in 1886.
4. The Tome Scientific Building at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., finished in 1885.
5. He is mentioned in his Grandmother's Obituary.
6. Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes in Washington D.C., built 1875, designed by Thos. Dixon & Chas. L. Carson, architects.
7. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Md., finished in 1872, designed by Thos. Dixon & Charles L. Carson. Many Photos
8. Canton Methodist Episcopal Church
9. Canton Branch, Enoch Pratt Free Library
10. Hagerstown, Maryland's St. Paul Church.
11. Raleigh, North Carolina's Holladay Hall at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now North Carolina State University.
12. Here you'll find an extensive list of Charles l. Carson's works.