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Ackley Covered Bridge
Main Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1830-1839DateCreated: 183220900 Oakwood Blvd.DearbornState: MIZip: 48124Country: USACreator: Joshua Ackley

Ackley Bridge is an excellent example of a multiple kingpost truss and a noteworthy early example of covered bridge preservation efforts in the United States. Built in 1832 by Joshua Ackley (b.1805) and Daniel Clouse (b.1812), Ackley Bridge originally spanned Enslow’s Branch of Wheeling Creek between Greene County and Washington County in Pennsylvania, where it carried traffic for over a century.

Image Credit: The Henry FordImage Caption: The Ackley Covered Bridge was moved to the Henry Ford Museum and restored.
The First Flaked Cereal
Society: ASABEMain Category: Agricultural & BiologicalEra: 1890-1899DateCreated: 1894Willard Public LibraryBattle CreekState: MIZip: 49017Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/asabe-historic-landmarks/the-first-flaked-cereal-52.aspxCreator: Kellogg, John Harvey

In 1894, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith (W.K.) Kellogg, were making a granola type cereal for their patients in the Battle Creek Sanitarium, a general health facility in Michigan. This granola cereal was made from wheat that was boiled, rolled into a sheet, toasted, and ground. They accidentally left a batch of boiled wheat stand overnight before passing it through the rolls. The individual grains were subsequently pressed into flakes which were toasted to form the first flaked cereal. Two years later, W.K. Kellogg made the first corn flakes.

YearAdded:
2008
Image Credit: Public Domain
Once-Over Mechanical Harvesting of Cucumbers
Society: ASABEMain Category: Agricultural & BiologicalSub Category: MechanizationEra: 1960-1969DateCreated: 1963Farrall Agricultural Engineering HallEast LansingState: MIZip: 48824Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/asabe-historic-landmarks/the-once-over-mechanical-harvesting-of-cucumbers-55.aspxCreator: Bill Stout

The concept of once-over mechanical, as opposed to multiple-pick hand or experimental multiple-pick machine harvesting, represented a major break-through in the practice of producing vine fruit such as pickling cucumbers.  In the 1950s the cost of hand harvesting was as high as 50% of the production cost.  Once-over mechanical harvesting, coupled with increasing plant population, reduced this cost to 25% thereby making production economically viable.

YearAdded:
2011
Image Caption: The concept represented a major break-through in the practice of producing vine fruit such as pickling cucumbers.
Moore Hascall Combine
Society: ASABEMain Category: Agricultural & BiologicalSub Category: VehiclesEra: 1830-1839DateCreated: 1836Farrall Agricultural Engineering HallEast LansingState: MIZip: 48824Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/asabe-historic-landmarks/moore-haskall-combine-8.aspxCreator: Hascall, John

A Historic Landmark of Agricultural Engineering in 1834 Near the Village of Climax, Michigan, Hiram Moore and John Hascall Built and Put Into Practical Use the First Successful Grain Combined Harvester - Thresher Which was Patented June 28, 1836. This Achievement was a Significant Contribution to the Development of American Agriculture Dedicated by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers 1978

YearAdded:
1978
Massey-Harris #20 Combine
Society: ASABEMain Category: Agricultural & BiologicalSub Category: Equipment, Harvesting and BalingEra: 1930sDateCreated: 1938Ford MuseumDearbornState: MIZip: 48124Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/asabe-historic-landmarks/massey-harris-20-combine-15.aspx, https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/18684/#slide=gs-274942Creator: Carroll, Thomas

Designated A Historic Landmark Of Agricultural Engineering The Massey-Harris No. 20 was the First Commercially- Successful Self-Propelled Combine Used to Harvest Small Grains Under a Wide Variety of Conditions, World-Wide. Engineered By Thomas Carroll, Chief Engineer, Aided by Robert Ashton and Albert Luke, Principal Assistants, it was First Marketed in 1938 by the Massey-Harris Company. This Combine Opened a New Era an Farm Mechanization and Revolutionized the Grain Harvesting Process. Forty-Four Years Later, This Same Harvesting Principle Continues to be Used Throughout the World.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Caption: Combine pictured at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI
ASABE Headquarters
Society: ASABEMain Category: Agricultural & BiologicalEra: 1960-1969DateCreated: 1969ASABE HeadquatersSt. JosephState: MIZip: 49085Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/asabe-historic-landmarks/asabe-hq-47.aspx

Established in 1907, the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) was managed by volunteers. In 1925, local editor Raymond Olney was named secretary, thus establishing ASAE in this area. By 1969, with over 7,000 members in 100 countries, an ASAE building was constructed at this site in St. Joseph, Mi. In 2005, ASAE became ASABE to recognize the importance of biology in the profession. ASABE collects and maintains the unique body of knowledge for the agricultural/biological engineering profession.

YearAdded:
2007
Kansas City Park and Boulevard System
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BuildingsEra: 1910-1919DateCreated: 1915Kansas CityState: MIZip: 64106Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Kansas-City-Park-and-Boulevard-System/Creator: Kessler, George

"Who in Europe, or in America for that matter, knows that Kansas City is one of the loveliest cities on earth? [...] the residential section is a masterpiece of city planning [...]; Few cities have been built with so much regard for beauty."  

YearAdded:
1974
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/CharvexImage Caption: The park system encouraged planned land use, raised real estate values, and provided incentives for quality residential developments.Era_date_from: 1915
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Environmental ControlEra: 1880-1889DateCreated: 1885507 East Michigan StreetMilwaukeeState: MIZip: 53202Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/244-multi-zone-automatic-temperature-controlCreator: Johnson, Warren

he Automatic Temperature Control System was named as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 2008. Warren S. Johnson came up with the idea for automatic temperature control while teaching at Normal School in Whitewater, Wisconsin in the 1880's. Originally, janitors would have to enter each classroom to determine if it was too hot or cold and then adjust the dampers in the basement accordingly. Johnson sought a way to end, or at least minimize the classroom interruptions of the janitors and increase the comfort level of the students.

YearAdded:
2008
Image Caption: Multi-Zone Automatic Temperature Control SystemEra_date_from: 1885
SS Badger Carferry
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Water TransportationEra: 1950-1959DateCreated: 1952Lake MichiganLudingtonState: MIZip: 49431Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/water-transportation/-191-ss-badger-carferry-%281952%29Creator: Christy Corporation, Skinner Engine Company

The two 3,500-hp steeple compound Unaflow steam engines powering the S.S. Badger represent one of the last types of reciprocating marine steam engines. Built by the Skinner Engine Company, most Unaflow engines are single expansion. These feature tandem high- and low-pressure cylinders separated by a common head. The Badger's four Foster-Wheeler Type D marine boilers, which supply 470-psig steam to the engines, are among the last coal-fired marine boilers built. 

YearAdded:
1996
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/ssbadger (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: SS Badger CarferryEra_date_from: 1952
Second Street Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1880-1889DateCreated: 1886Kalamazoo RiverAlleganState: MIZip: 49010Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/People-and-Projects/Projects/Landmarks/Second-Street-Bridge/Creator: King, Zenas, King Iron Bridge Company

The Second Street Bridge is a simply ornamented, wrought-iron structure. It is 18 feet wide and spans 225 feet over the Kalamazoo River. It was built to replace a dilapidated wooden bridge that had served the area for nearly 50 years.

The bridge is anchored to fieldstone abutments on each shore, and the deck is composed of wood beams. Iron lattice work provides structural stability and iron finials on the end posts provide aesthetic appeal. It includes a wooden pedestrian walkway.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Chris LightImage Caption: Second Street BridgeEra_date_from: 1886
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Innovations

Herbert Dow in 1888 Photo courtesy of the Post Street Archives.

On January 4, 1891, Herbert H. Dow succeeded in producing bromine electrolytically from central Michigan’s rich brine resources. In the years that followed, this and other processes developed by Dow and the company he founded led to an increasing stream of chemicals from brines. The commercial…

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This machine, which began operation on December 15, 1891, for the New York Edison Illuminating Company, represents the beginning of large-scale electric power generation in the United States. The generator was designed by chief engineer John Van Vleck, David Joy (known in England for his valve…

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Michigan-Lake Superior Power Hydroelectric Plant

This low-head operating plant is representative of nineteenth-century hydropower-plant practice using many small turbines in contrast to twentieth-century use of few large turbines and generators. Its 40,000 horsepower capacity made it the largest in the country using turbines of American design…

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Quincy Mining Company No. 2 Mine Hoist

The largest mine hoist in the world, it serves the two incline skipways of Shaft No. 2, almost 9,300 feet long. The overhead winding drum has a diameter of 30 feet, of which the cylindrical center section is 10 feet long. The two 10-foot long end sections taper down to a 15-foot diameter. Wire…

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First practical US helicopter, pioneering the single-main-rotor concept

America's first practical helicopter, it pioneered the single main rotor concept that became the predominant helicopter configuration throughout the world. The principles that were developed and demonstrated by the VS-300 had direct application in the design of the early mass-production…

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The Wildcat's innovative "Sto-Wing" mechanism developed on the XF4F-4 prototype by Leroy (Roy) Grumman (1895-1982), a founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, was crucial to the U. S. Navy's success during World War II.

The idea of a folding wing was not new: as early as 1920…

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The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code continues to impact modern day boilers and other types of pressure vessels.

Published in 1914-15, the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) was the first comprehensive standard for the design, construction, inspection, and testing of boilers and pressure vessels. With adoption in the United States and use in many countries, it has contributed significantly to…

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This is one of the three original 60-ton vessels by which the basic oxygen process (BOP) of steel making was introduced into this country from Austria, where it was invented. It heralded the first new technology in fifty years to become the basis of a major process for steel production throughout… Read More
As one of the large strikes in the Lake Superior geological district, the Chapin Mine was located under a cedar swamp and unminable until it was drained by one of the largest pumping engines of the 1880s. Miners at the Chapin Mine, which began producing ore in 1880, soon tried to sink a deep shaft… Read More
While Thomas Edison perfected the first practical and durable filament in 1879, it was not until much later that electricity left the laboratory to become the universal source of light. This required a tremendous number of glass envelopes for light bulbs. In the 1890s the top speed of the finest… Read More
Detroit Edison District Heating System

The concept of heating a number of buildings in the core area of a city from a single heating plant was introduced into the United States by Birdsill Holly at Lockport, New York, in 1877. The gain in thermal efficiency of a single large steam plant over a series of small isolated boilers led to…

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Detroit-Windsor Tunnel

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is a 5,160-foot structure that carries traffic under the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Privately financed, built, and owned, it was completed in 26 months, 10 months ahead of schedule. 

The project's engineer, the firm of…

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Edison 'Jumbo' Engine-Driver Dynamo

This dynamo, connected directly to a high-speed steam engine, was one of six that produced direct current at Thomas A. Edison's electric power station at 257 Pearl Street in New York City. The Pearl Street Station was the prototype for central station power generation. Edison set out in 1878 to…

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Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac (pronounced "Mack-in-awe") Bridge (1957) spans the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, connecting the Lower and Upper peninsulas of Michigan.   Prior to the construction of the bridge, a fleet of nine ferries would carry as many as 9,000 vehicles per day, with…

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Model T

When Ford Motor Company introduced its new Model T on October 1, 1908, even an inveterate optimist like Henry Ford (1863-1947) could not predict the vast changes that his rather homely new vehicle would produce. What flowed from this series of bold innovations was more than an endless stream of…

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Discovery of Organic Free Radicals by Moses Gomberg

In 1900, Moses Gomberg, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, confirmed the existence of a stable, trivalent organic free radical: triphenylmethyl. In so doing, he challenged the then prevailing belief that carbon could have only four chemical bonds. Gomberg’s discovery made a…

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Refrigeration Research Museum

This collection includes many examples of advances in mechanical refrigeration for residential and commercial applications, dating from about 1890 to 1960. Such devices dramatically improved food storage safety and convenience and set high standards for mechanical reliability. The RRM collection…

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Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Complex

Located at the northern tip of Michigan where Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron join together, the Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Power Complex was built to harness the hydroelectric potential of the  20-foot falls at the headwaters of the St. Marys (sic) River, the sole outlet of…

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Second Street Bridge

The Second Street Bridge is a simply ornamented, wrought-iron structure. It is 18 feet wide and spans 225 feet over the Kalamazoo River. It was built to replace a dilapidated wooden bridge that had served the area for nearly 50 years.

The bridge is anchored to fieldstone abutments on…

Read More
SS Badger Carferry

The two 3,500-hp steeple compound Unaflow steam engines powering the S.S. Badger represent one of the last types of reciprocating marine steam engines. Built by the Skinner Engine Company, most Unaflow engines are single expansion. These feature tandem high- and low-pressure cylinders separated…

Read More

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