National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
Extent:
29 Cubic feet (81 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Trade catalogs
Tracings
Blueprints
Correspondence
Photographs
Date:
1880-1960.
Scope and Contents:
Records of the Skinner Engine Company, Erie, Pennsylvania, manufacturers of Universal Unaflow engines, include correspondence and orders, 1905-1939, 1948-1951; drawings, blueprints, tracings, photographs, and files on Corliss engines, diesels, steam turbines, variable steam controls, and Kingsford and Stumpf stationary and marine unaflow engines, 1890-1941, 1944, 1948-1951; instruction and lubrication manuals, catalogs, sales literature, and other publications issued by the company, 1880-1960; tractor boiler patents, 1904; Stumpf patents, 1911; contracts, 1912-1917, 1934, 1941; and calculations, 1938. Also includes articles, advertisements, blueprints, bulletins, catalogs, correspondence, and photographs relating to other engine builders, including Chuse Engine Company, Harrisburg, Nordberg, Four Valve, and Ridgway, 1911-1938.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Arrangement: By type of material.
Provenance:
The first portion of this collection was donated by Skinner Engine Company to the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, National Museum of HIstory and Technology (now the National Museum of American History) in 1963. Skinner donated additional materials in 1984.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Hazen Collection of Band Photographs and Ephemera, ca. 1818-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Unrestricted research use on site. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Hazen Collection of Band Photographs and Ephemera, ca. 1818-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Citation:
McIntosh, Seymour and Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Russell Engine Co. (Massillon, OH) ; A. H. Averill Machinery Co. (Portland, OR) ; The Clark Implement Co. (Council Bluffs, IA) ; Geo. O. Richardson Machinery Co. (St. Joseph, MO) ; F. P. Harbaugh Co. (St. Paul, MN) ; Massillon Engine & Thresher Co. (Chattanooga, TN) ; Arbuckle-Ryan Co. (Toledo, OH) ; Lindsay Bros. (Milwaukee, WI) Search this
Notes content:
steam and gas tractors ; threshers ; "The Old Reliable Russell Line" ; steel water tanks ; portable and stationary boilers ; saw mill machinery ; steam road locomotive for hauling, plowing, and road building ; "Russell Roller" ; complete road-building equipment ; "Massillon" steam shovels ; pneumatic stackers ; four valve automatic cut off steam engines ; "The Russell Engine" ; hauling wagons and trailers ; rye, beans, rice, peas and other grains and seeds ; straw stackers and weighers ; unique with striking color illustrations, equipment drawings, and graphics ;
Coxe Brothers and Company, Inc. (Drifton, Pennsylvania) Search this
Collection Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Extractive Industries Search this
Container:
Map-folder 40
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Coxe Brothers Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Curtiss C-D-12 Motor #3, B-S-E 9663, 6-19-22. [Close-up view of four valves, probably exhaust valves.]
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Collection Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records, Acc. XXXX-0067, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 81, United States National Museum. Superintendent of Construction for the United States National Museum Building, Records
Corliss, George H. (George Henry), 1817-1888 Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Photocopies
Drawings
Xerographic copies
Date:
1988
Summary:
This collection contains a manuscript history of the Corliss Engine written by William Sawyer. The documents include text with written edits and illustrations.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of a manuscript about George Corliss by William Sawyer, 1988, Corliss--Man and Engine with photocopies of drawings and illustrations.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Series 1: William Sawyer, History of the Corliss Engine Manuscript, 1988
Biographical / Historical:
William Sawyer, the author of Corliss, man and engine, is an independent scholar of the history of the stationary steam engine. Sawyer's research was supported by materials from Brown University, the Smithsonian Institution, and other libraries and archives with holdings related to the topic.
The text was considered for publication by Lindsay Publications, Inc., a well-known publisher in the history of technology field, but was not published for "various reasons." The first twenty-one pages of this manuscript are in the typeset format used by Brown, with the rest unformatted. This particular copy dates to 1988, after it was typeset by Brown and before its eventual publication in Stationary Power, the Journal of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society in 1999.
This manuscript was donated to the Archives Center by Robert M. Vogel, Curator Emeritus of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution in 2014. He had been given a copy by the author for copy and content editing, but was unable to finish before his retirement. The hand-written edits on the manuscript belong to Vogel. Vogel also provided the illustrations credited to the Smithsonian Institution and the author.
According to Sawyer, a Corliss engine is a type of "stationary reciprocating steam engine, bolted down to a foundation, and used to provide power for factories and other users in which the machine(s) driven are fixed in one place" (Chapter 1, Corliss—Man and Engine). George Corliss received US Patent 6162 for his valve gear on March 10, 1849, a type of steam engine which ran more efficiently on less fuel. The patent covered the use of a wrist-plate to convey the valve motion from a single eccentric to the four valves of the engine, as well as the use of trip valves with variable cutoffs under governor control that were associated with Corliss Engines.
Sources
Donor Foreword, Corliss Steam Engine Reference Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Corliss—Man and Engine, Corliss Steam Engine Reface Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
Chuse Engine and Manufacturing Company Records (AC1088)
Evolution of the Corliss Steam Engine Album (AC1016)
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center by Robert Vogel, former curator in the Division of Engineering and Industry (now the Division of Work and Industry) in 2014. William Sawyer had given the materials to Vogel in 1988.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Franklin Machine Company Providence, Rhode Island Search this
Corliss, George H. (George Henry), 1817-1888 Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Albums
Scrapbooks
Date:
1930.
Summary:
Collection consists of an album illustrating the history of the Corliss Steam Engine.
Scope and Contents note:
Album (a carefully prepared, handmade book) illustrating the history of the Corliss Steam Engine. The book includes clipped-out illustrations of the factory, of steam engines and parts, accompanied by captions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical/Historical note:
George Corliss received US Patent 6,162 for his valve gear on March 10, 1849, a more efficient type of steam engine which ran more efficiently on less fuel. The patent covered the use of a wrist-plate to convey the valve motion from a single eccentric to the four valves of the engine, as well as the use of trip valves with variable cutoff under governor control that were associated with Corliss Engines.
Provenance:
Collection donated by the Franklin Machine Company.
Donated by the Franklin Machine Company, 1930.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Collection Citation:
Captain Michael Gitt Papers, Acc. NASM.2003.0033, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
