John H. Small
Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
John H. Small 1858 1946. Congressman, 1899-1921. Chair, Cmte. on Rivers & Harbors; champion of Intracoastal Waterway. Home stood 40 yds. E.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
John H. Small (1858–1946), whose home stood 40 yards east, represented eastern North Carolina in Congress from 1899 to 1921. As chair of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, he became a leading champion of the Intracoastal Waterway, the sheltered network of channels that lets boats travel the coast without braving the open sea. His decades in Washington helped shape the waterways his low-lying district depended on.
Why it matters
Small's advocacy for the Intracoastal Waterway shows how regional congressmen steered federal investment into the infrastructure that knit the nation's coasts together.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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