Oliver Evans (1755-1819)

A visionary inventor and engineer, Oliver Evans (1755-1819) helped shape American manufacturing. In the late 1700s, Evans developed a continuous conveyor system for milling flour that revolutionized the industry and influenced the design of future automated factories. In 1804, he patented America's first high-pressure steam engine. Evans' new engine was reliable and versatile -- it was adapted for use in both manufacturing and steamboat propulsion.

In 1804, Oliver Evans received a patent for a high-pressure steam engine -- a radical departure from the early low-pressure engines operating in the United States at the time. Evans found commercial applications in the flour-milling industry, where some of his other innovations had already been influential. One of Evans's patented engines was installed in a steam flour mill in Marietta, Ohio, in 1811.

This instructional handbook was originally written and published by Oliver Evans (1755-1819). In the late 1700s, Evans developed a continuous conveyor system for milling flour. The Young Mill-Wright and Miller's Guide explained his labor-saving innovations through text and technical illustrations. Published in fifteen editions between 1795 and 1860, the influential book helped revolutionize the flour-milling industry.

Inventor and engineer Oliver Evans believed that steam engines, used to power mills and steamboats, could also propel land vehicles. An opportunity to experiment came with a commission from the Philadelphia Board of Health for a steam dredge. Evans designed a 30-foot-long, 17-ton amphibious digger that moved successfully over land in 1805. This one-time stunt proved the viability of steam-powered carriages.

Loranger Gristmill, originally located in Monroe, Michigan, was set up to grind corn and wheat harvested by local farmers into flour or animal feed. It incorporates a sophisticated conveyor system developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s. The vertical columns in this photograph conceal cup elevators that lift grain through the building to undergo a variety of processes.