Postcard of the President Pump, Friedensville, PA Zinc Mine

Society for Industrial Archeology

OLIVER EVANS CHAPTER presents

The President Pump & its Cornish Pump House

at the Friedensville Zinc Mine

an Illustrated Lecture by Mark W. Connar

It is well known that Bethlehem, PA is the home of the first municipal water pumping system in the United States. A replica of this machine is located in its original stone building in Historic Bethlehem’s Industrial Quarter. Much less known is that, little more than a century later, the largest stationary water pumping engine in the Americas was erected only a few miles away at a mine in the Upper Saucon Township village of Friedensville. This engine, renowned at the time as The President Pump, was designed and constructed by Cornish engineers using time tested old world technical know-how coupled with American manufacturing talent. Although not publicly accessible, the remnants of this machine still exist today.

Mark W. Connar’s presentation will provide us with a view of this fascinating early equipment and its special connections to the 19th century Philadelphia business community. Mr. Connar is a retired businessman with an AB degree in anthropology from Brown University (1972) with post graduate study in archaeology at the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania. He has participated in archaeological surveys in the United States and the United Kingdom. He also holds an MBA degree from Lehigh University (1984). He is on the Board of Trustees, Historic Bethlehem Partnership and is a Founding Member of the National Museum of Industrial History. He is also a member of SIA.

Date: Monday, October 16, 2017

Time: 5:30 Refreshments     6:15 Program

Cost: $10 per person if pre-registered.     $15 if not reserved in advance

Place: Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center

           You can park in the Circle, closer to the FWWIC

Registration: E-mail names and phone numbers of members and guests to

           larry.deyoung@verizon.net or phone Larry at 610-293-9098

Oliver Evans Chapter/SIA

PROGRAM, ANNUAL MEETING & PICNIC

Monday, September 25, 2017

Engineering Philadelphia: The Sellers Family & the Industrial Metropolis

When Philadelphia was the Workshop of the World, the Sellers family numbered among the city’s leading industrial families, developing canals and railroads and manufacturing goods ranging from textiles to steel frames for bridges and skyscrapers. But as Philadelphia de-industrialized in the 20th century, the Sellers family’s firms also declined.

Author Domenic Vitiello, PhD, is an urban historian at the University of Pennsylvania who will examine the rise and fall of Philadelphia as an industrial metropolis through a focus on the Sellers family and their network of associates. His talk is based on his 2013 book of the same name from Cornell University Press. Dr. Vitiello’s book is available at Amazon.com and other retail sources.

Time:  6PM Picnic

7PM Annual Meeting

7:15 Program

Place: Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Waterworks Dr.

 You can park on the Circle, closer to the FWWIC

Cost: $20 per person by Advanced Reservation only

Note: Food is only ordered for reservations. Mail your name and number in party with check payable to OE/SIA, no later than September 20 to: Larry DeYoung, 54 N.Waterloo Rd., Devon, PA 19333. If you wish to pay at the door, e-mail Larry at larry.deyoung@verizon.net

Questions: Send an e-mail to info@siaoliverevans.org