Our Steam Engine
Our steam engine on display at the Industrial History Center. (John Mayer photo.)
One of the largest artifacts on view in our new exhibit at the Industrial History Center is a ca. 1890 steam engine. For many visitors this industrial artifact may not be easily recognized, and yet this machine helps us tell a very important part of the story of Amesbury. Steam power, and engines like this, became an essential resource for the growth of industry in Amesbury.
Introduction
The first working steam engines appeared in Great Britain in the late 1700s. As technical knowledge and the ability to machine metal improved, steam engines became an essential part of the Industrial Revolution. And the technology spread around the world. Steam engines came to Amesbury in the late 1830s.
Before the “age of steam,” industrial work relied on water-powered mills (or animal or people power!). The flowing water of the Powow is what drew mill owners to the millyard. When steam power was available, mill owners were free to build their mills in new locations away from flowing water.
But mill owners also realized that steam engines could help during periods of drought or if they needed more power for other reasons. A severe drought in 1854 closed the Amesbury textile mills for six months. Shortly after this, mill owners began to install steam engines so the mills could keep operating throughout the year.
Steam in the millyard
An 1859 article in the Amesbury Villager announces the installation of three new steam engines “to carry on the works in case of a short supply of water.” To prevent fires and contain the machine operations, the engines required a separate structure with a boiler (used to generate steam from water heated by coal) and a chimney to carry the smoke and ash away.
A view of a weave room in the Amesbury millyard with belts and pulleys providing power for the machines. (Courtesy Amesbury Public Library, Local History Collection.)
Next time you eat at Flatbread Co.
The building now home to Flatbread Co. was built around 1856 as an engine house. The brick chimney still stands as a reminder of the steam power made here. A boiler filled with water, heated by coal, produced steam. The steam generated pressure and was piped to the engine. The pressure from the steam pushed a piston in the engine that then turned a crank connected to the large flywheel making the power needed by the mills.
This rotating power was transmitted through the mills by a series of metal shafts, pulleys and leather belts. If you look closely when you are in Flatbread, you can see the bricked-over openings in the walls of building.
The technology may seem complicated – but this was a very common way of operating the mills.
Illustration from the Porter Mfg. Co. Steam Engine catalog. (Private collection.)
About our engine
Unfortunately, our steam engine is not from Amesbury. It represents this important technology. The engine was salvaged from a storage house on Cape Cod where it was first used to provide power for an ice-manufacturing company. When the company switched to electrical power, the steam engine became obsolete.
The engine is called a horizontal mill engine. It was made around 1890 by the Porter Manufacturing Company of Syracuse, NY. It could produce about 8 horsepower, but our engine would be too small to provide the needed power. An engine three times this size – able to produce 20 horsepower would be a minimum. We have records of steam engines in the millyard able to produce 100 hp. They most have been enormous!
Want to see a steam engine operate?
For those inspired and interested – the New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich, Rhode Island has a large collection of engines with many that operate. They are open only on Saturdays during the summer or by appointment. Every year they host a “steam up” with demonstrations of all types.
Here is a link to the museum website - https://newsm.org/
and a youtube video tour - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amRqjHUUiMA&t=5s
Winter view of the Industrial History Center. (John Mayer photo.)
We will be opening around March - Visit the Industrial History Center
The Industrial History Center is closed for the winter. Staff is working on our 2022 calendar of programs. We plan to open in March and look forward to welcoming you for a visit and to take part in our program offerings.
Links to more information
New England Wireless and Steam Museum, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
https://newsm.org/
A video tour of New England Wireless and Steam Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amRqjHUUiMA&t=5s
Lowell National Historical Park and the Boott Cotton Mill, Lowell, Mass.
https://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/boott-cotton-mills-museum.htm
Short clip of the weave room at the Boott Cotton Mill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDgVepn4YaU