Scope and Content Note
The papers of James Houston Henderson (1878-1935) span the years 1913-1920 and contain correspondence, employment records, biographical notes, and photographs. Henderson was employed by the Isthmian Canal Commission in 1913 as a rodman and later chief of the party which surveyed the Panama Canal. He also oversaw construction of roads and bridges for the Panama Railroad in 1914 and for the Panama Canal in 1915. The papers consist chiefly of correspondence to his wife, Lula Ross Henderson, that detail his work with the construction of the Panama Canal and personal family matters. The correspondence is augmented with photographs of the canal construction as well as records outlining Henderson's employment history. Included in the papers are letters of recommendation from C. A. McIlvain of the Panama Canal and George W. Goethals of the Isthmian Canal Commission and a biographical outline compiled by Henderson's daughter, Frances Henderson Carter. After his tenure with the construction of the Panama Canal, Henderson was employed as a surveyor and civil engineer for several oil companies in Texas and Oklahoma.