As part of the Beaufort Historical Association’s Living History series, Don Hoss will conduct a demonstration on steam engines Saturday, July 25th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm in the Beaufort Site’s Welcome Center at 130 Turner Street. All are invited to observe a working model of a steam engine, see three different varieties of engines and hear Mr. Hoss explain how the steam engine works.
Steam engines are historically one of the most important and life-altering inventions of modern man. Dating back to the 1st century when the “aeolipile” was described by Hero of Alexandria, steam engines were then mentioned by a couple of inventors in the late 16th century, but the first practical application of steam power was in 1698 when a steam pump was invented to remove water from deep mines in England.
After the potential power of steam was discovered, it led to the invention of a full-fledged steam engine. Then the adaptation of stationary steam engines to rotary motion made them suitable for industrial uses and steam power underwent a rapid expansion after 1800. This led to the Industrial Revolution which transformed the mainly agrarian world economy into the modern capitalist economy of industry and manufacturing that we live in to this day.
Stop by the Beaufort Historic Site to see how a steam engine is able to harness the power of steam to move machinery, a subject that has interested Mr. Hoss since his childhood.