![]() Shortly after this, mill owners began to install steam engines so the mills could keep operating throughout the year.Īn 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 severe drought in 1854 closed the Amesbury textile mills for six months. When steam power was available, mill owners were free to build their mills in new locations away from flowing water.īut mill owners also realized that steam engines could help during periods of drought or if they needed more power for other reasons. The flowing water of the Powow is what drew mill owners to the millyard. Steam engines came to Amesbury in the late 1830s.īefore the “age of steam,” industrial work relied on water-powered mills (or animal or people power!). ![]() And the technology spread around the world. As technical knowledge and the ability to machine metal improved, steam engines became an essential part of the Industrial Revolution. The first working steam engines appeared in Great Britain in the late 1700s. Steam power, and engines like this, became an essential resource for the growth of industry in Amesbury. 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. One of the largest artifacts on view in our new exhibit at the Industrial History Center is a ca.
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