Innovations of the S. Morgan Smith Company

In 1927, a custom rail car is used to ship the first of three massive Francis Turbine Runners from the S. Morgan Smith Company factory in York to a Hydro-Electric Plant being built on the Connecticut River in Bellows Falls, Vermont. (Photo source: York County History Center)

Posted by Stephen H. SmithApril 17, 2021May 16, 2021 All Posts, Businesses, Manufacturing, Pennsylvania, Railroads, Talks, Various Locations, York County

Innovations of the S. Morgan Smith Company

My May 8th Second Saturday Lecture at the York County History Center will be both an in-person and a zoom event. Due to limited capacity for the in-person event, please register via link at YCHC if you would like to attend the Second Saturday program on site at the Historical Society Museum Meeting Hall at 250 East Market Street. Please note: upon arrival, you will get your temperature checked; you will need to maintain social distance within the building and wear a mask the entire time. If you are uncomfortable with attending in person, please use the same link to register for the “Second Saturday Online” whereupon the zoom link will be provided.

Innovations of the S. Morgan Smith Company focuses on technological advances coupled with the history of the company and its successors during the Twentieth Century. As a companion to the excellent book “Re-Inventing The Wheel. The Incredible Story of S. Morgan Smith, Minister, Inventor, Industrialist,” by Stephen Nicholas, with Terry Downs, this Innovations Lecture shares stories and facts about the S. Morgan Smith Company that are not common knowledge.

After, Christine Cooper asked me to present on this topic last October; I contacted Stephen Nicholas, because I knew he had plans to write further about one of the innovations, which I’ll side-step during this talk; however there are plenty more innovations to explore in this lecture.