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April 21, 1814This man from Royalton becomes an engineer of elevated stature.
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On April 21, 1814, Albert Merritt Billings was born in Royalton. Billings, with C.K. Garrison, would finance the first elevated railroad in New York City. He was a successful businessman, involved in mass transit projects throughout the U.S. Billings worked on railways in Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, as well as Memphis street railways and the Missouri Pacific. In 1916, the Billings family, under the leadership of Albert's nephew, donated $1 million to create the Albert Merritt Billings hospital at the University of Chicago. It is now part of the medical complex that covers over 25 acres in Chicago's downtown. Image and much information courtesy www.ironhorse129.com.
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An engraving of the New York City elevated railway under construction. |
