Dismantling the Newcomen Steam Engine "Fairbottom Bobs" Photograph Album, 1929-1930
THF217189 / Dismantling the Newcomen Steam Engine "Fairbottom Bobs" Photograph Album, 1929-1930 / front cover
01
Artifact Overview
Henry Ford acquired the oldest known surviving steam engine in 1929. The engine, known locally as Fairbottom Bobs, lay in ruin near Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Ford charged Herbert Morton to dismantle, crate, and transport what remained of the original engine to Dearborn, Michigan. This album chronicles Morton's experience, which included an archeological dig, building a bridge, and laying a short railroad.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photograph album
Date Made
1929-1930
Subject Date
1929-1930
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
29.3174.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Dimensions
Height: 9.5 in
Width: 12 in
Length: 1.5 in
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Artifacts
ArtifactNewcomen Engine, circa 1750
This is the oldest known surviving steam engine in the world. Named for its inventor Thomas Newcomen, the engine converted chemical energy in the fuel into useful mechanical work. Its early history is not known, but it was used to pump water out of the Cannel mine in the Lancashire coalfields of England in about 1765. The engine was presented to Henry Ford in 1929.
03
Related Content
SetCollecting Fairbottom Bobs
- 6 Artifacts
This is the oldest known surviving steam engine in the world. Named for its inventor Thomas Newcomen, the engine converted chemical energy in the fuel into useful mechanical work. Its early history is not known, but it was used to pump water out of the Cannel mine in the Lancashire coalfields of England in about 1765. The engine was presented to Henry Ford in 1929.