Tag Archives: John A. Roebling

Historian David McCullough is best known, these days, for his pullet surprise winning books Truman and John Adams. The Great Bridge, The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, was his first popular history, in 1972. It’s a compelling story, even at 562 pages. It interested me, initially, because I worked in Trenton, NJ, in the late-1970s, and became aquainted with the history of the town’s most prominent family, the Roeblings, whose patriarch designed the bridge, though his son (with considerable assistance from his wife) built it. I was aware of the technical challenges, but not the political machinations and corruption surrounding the effort, nor of the builder’s Civil War experiences and fame. All-in-all a great read. I’ll try Truman next.