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Alfred Victor Verville Papers

Creator:
Verville, Alfred V.  Search this
Verville Aircraft Company  Search this
Former owner:
Buhl (Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co, Buhl Aircraft Co)  Search this
Names:
Sperry Co.  Search this
Extent:
53.375 Linear feet (102 containers: 89 legal size document boxes, 2 shoeboxes, 10 flatboxes, 1 large format folder)
5 Film reels (1 35mm, two 16mm, and 2 8mm films)
50.008 Cubic feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1886-1969
Summary:
This collection contains Verville's personal papers. The material relates mainly to his various aeronautical concerns as well as his involvement with military aviation. The collection includes a large number of photos tracing the development of Curtiss aircraft and Naval Aviation, and especially documenting the design, construction, and flights of a replica of the Navy's first aircraft, the Curtiss A-1 'Triad', built under Verville's direction by the Bureau of Aeronautics to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Naval Aviation in 1961. Also included are a large number of blueprints and photos of Verville-designed aircraft, especially those developed by the Verville Aircraft Co. in 1928 - 1931
Scope and Contents:
Contents of this collection include blueprints, drawings, technical manuals, reference material, correspondence, financial information, event programs, photographs, newspapers and clippings, magazines, pamphlets, brochures, journals, books.

The researcher should note that the collection also contains 35mm, 16mm and 8mm films. These films are not included in the container list but a NASM Archives staff person can assist you regarding access.
Arrangement:
Organized into series:

SERIES 1: Correspondence

SERIES 2: Institute of the Aerospace Sciences (IAS) - Navy National Naval Aviation Meeting 1961 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation in San Diego CA featuring the A-1 Replica

SERIES 3: Technical Materials

SERIES 4: Drawings

SERIES 5: Other Papers

SERIES 6: Publications

SERIES 7: Photographs

SERIES 8: Scrapbooks, Oversize Materials

This collection was arranged at the time of processing to better reflect its main areas of subject matter as there was very little original order preserved. Original folder titles were kept when they appeared; archivists' folder titles are in brackets. Archivist's description appears below folder titles.
Biographical / Historical:
Alfred Victor Verville (1890-1970), aviation pioneer and aircraft designer, was responsible for a number of important inventions in aircraft design, including welded-steel-frame fuselages and retractable landing gear. He began work with the Curtiss Aeroplane Co in 1914 and, by the end of World War I had moved through a number of manufacturers, including Curtiss (1914), T-M Airplane Co (1915), General Airplane Co (1915-17), and Fisher Body Corp, Airplane Division (1917-18). In 1918 he became involved in military aviation at the United States Army Air Corp Engineering Division, McCook Field , OH (1918-25) and served as advisor to Colonel William Mitchell during his inspection trip to Europe (1922). In 1925 he co-founded the Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co (1925-27) before striking out on his own with the Verville Aircraft Co (1928-31). Through the 1930s and 1940s he acted in a number of capacities, including periods as a consultant (1932, 1939-41); at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce (1933-36); Douglas Aircraft (1937-38); Curtiss Wright Corp (1941-42), Snead Aircraft, Technical Division (1942); and Drexel Aviation Co (1942-45). In 1945 he served as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe and later joined the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (1946-61). He retired in 1961, but continued to support aviation and aeronautics until his death.
Provenance:
Alfred Verville, gift, 1954
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Verville Aircraft  Search this
Alfred V. Verville  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co  Search this
Aircraft industry  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Citation:
Alfred Victor Verville Papers, Acc. XXXX-0173, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0173
See more items in:
Alfred Victor Verville Papers
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg23776ee1d-329f-45da-8290-8158702e1cc5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0173
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