Soulé Steam Feed Works
Encyclopedia
Soulé Steam Feed Works is a historic business founded in Meridian, Mississippi
in 1891 by George Soulé. The complex was listed as a contributing property to Union Station Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979 under the Meridian Multiple Resource Area (MRA). It was listed as a Mississippi Landmark in 2003. The business, known for its many patented innovations in steam engine
technology, reached its height around the turn of the century, producing products that were sold around the world.
In 2003, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum obtained the lease to the complex and has operated there since. The city holds an annual Soulé Live Steam Festival at the complex attracting thousands of people from around the nation.
in 1849. He was a descendant of another George Soule
who came to America on the Mayflower
. At the age of one, he and his father, Isaac, moved to Wisconsin
. When young George was 20 years old, his father died, and he decided to leave the family farm and pursue his own livelihood. Despite having obtained less than one year of formal education, he served as a school teacher for one three month term before heading south to end up in Morton, Mississippi
, in 1875. He had originally missed a ship to Cuba
, but stayed at several businesses in Morton and Shubuta, Mississippi
, before moving his operations to Meridian in 1879. Businesses operated by Soulé upon entering Meridian included a turpentine
company, a lumber company, a cotton gin
, and a manufacturer's representative. Before he moved to Meridian, he was involved in a railroad accident in March 1876 in which he lost his left leg and four toes of his right foot.
Soulé founded two other companies before Steam Feed Works, the Southern Standard Cotton Press Company and the Progress Manufacturing Company. Short of money after his railroad accident, he decided to build his own cotton press for his fledgling cotton gin. The invention was simpler and less expensive than those on the market and attracted wide attention. Soulé called his invention the Southern Standard Cotton Press and founded the company around this machine. In 1881, two years after he moved the business to Meridian, the company sold 750 cotton presses all over the South.
In 1886, Soulé sold the Southern Standard Press after founding Progress Manufacturing in 1894, and invented the Ideal Hay-Press for use in the new company. This new business was located on 5th Street between 26th and 27th Avenues and grew to include a foundry
and machine shop. Looking to invent more, he turned over active management to Progress Manufacturing in 1888 and began working on a small rotary engine. He sold Progress Manufacturing in 1891 and established Steam Feed Works. The business was incorporated
in 1893. In total, Soulé patented over 40 items during his lifetime, including the Success Cotton Seed Huller and an improved version of the sugar mill.
In 1902, when the new Steam Feed Works had become well-established, Soulé found a country home in Santa Rosa County, Florida
. He began to turn much of the company over to his son, Clyde, and spent more of his time in Florida, before returning to Meridian in 1917, where he stayed until his death on December 21, 1922. During his life he had two wives – Olivia Sherman Warren in 1873 and Constance Gara in 1907, two years after his former wife's death – and nine children. One of his grand children, also named George Soulé
, was an influential R&B songwriter in the 1960s and 70s.
was added in the 1930s, and a second layer was added in the late 1960s. Inside the building is an 8 feet (2.4 m) x 12 feet (3.7 m) fireproof vault, which holds the original company records. Above the vault, the company is written in gold. The vault was added after an 1895 fire destroyed George Soulé's office and the records in it.
A second building was added on to the side of the original building in 1907, and the downstairs of the original building was converted into a mill supply store. Belt-driven machines are operated by a 100 feet (30.5 m) line drive shaft that stretches almost the entire length of the building. The drive shaft, now the longest operating drive in the country, was powered by an electric motor dating from the early 1920s. There is also a blacksmith
shop and two forge
s in the building, both of which are powered by the drive shaft. A belt-driven wooden freight elevator was used to take finished castings to the assembly room upstairs and lower the finished products back downstairs. A system of rails and cranes allowed this heavy machinery and other items to be transported easily to the elevator and throughout the building. The crane system could also move items to the foundry
(built in 1917) and the machine shop, as well as out to the street. There is a steam engine factory on the second floor of the building which contains another 25 feet (7.6 m) shaft that was driven by the main downstairs shaft. Fans were attached to this smaller shaft to keep the area cool during the summer.
In October 1907 when the second building was built, Soulé employed 23 people in the foundry department and 23 machinists, making 46 total employees. By May 1917, the total number had dropped to 31 due to the shortage of manpower during World War I
, but employee totals increased again after the war, averaging 50 people between 1922 and 1945. Employees were paid an average of 50 to 70 cents per hour – the highest paying jobs in Meridian at the time – and the foreman
and supervisors would receive a weekly cash stipend
of $7–9 dollars. Workers would be on duty six days a week for an average of nine hours per day.
A third building, the foundry, was added to the complex in 1917, and additions were made from 1923-25. A cupola furnace
that pre-dates the building itself was installed near the western end of the building and used to melt iron until a modern electric furnace was added in the 1970s. Both furnaces still exist in the building, and both can be used at the same time. In 1977 a Vulcan Engineering NoBake System was added. A fourth and fifth building were also added in the 1920s, although they were only used as storage and added no extra manufacturing ability to the complex.
Though during its peak the company produced and shipped many of its products around the world, after World War II
, the company focused on the local and regional market. The upstairs of the original 1892 building was converted into storage in the 1950s. Other changes were also made in the latter half of the 20th century, including dividing the office space in the original building into cubicle
s, covering walls with Masonite
board, and covering the floors with sheet vinyl
. The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum received the title to the building in December 2003 and restored the building largely to its 1920s appearance.
carriages, which would help feed lumber into a spinning saw blade. The engine could also power winch
es to load and unload logs to and from railroad cars and wagons. A total of 2,300 engines were built at the plant and sold around the world; a few are still in operation in Australia
and India
. Other countries in which the engine was sold include South Africa
, Cuba
, Ecuador
, Mexico
, the Philippines
, Brazil
, Canada
, New Zealand
, Peru
, Venezuela
, and Colombia
. Though the engines were touted as "the most durable and easily controlled" engines of the time, they were sometimes referred to as "steam hogs" because lots of steam was required to make them run. Soulé patented an improvement to the rotary engine in 1902, but more improvements were needed to keep up with competition.
The Soulé Spee-D-Twin, a two-cylinder reciprocating steam engine, was designed in 1922 and patented in 1923. Being much more efficient than its predecessor, the Spee-D-Twin became the favorite among sawmill operators. The engine featured a valve
that allowed the engine to operate in both forward and reverse, and its small size allowed it to be retrofitted onto an existing carriage. When in full operation, the factory could produce one Spee-D-Twin per day. The company built and sold 4,301 Spee-D-Twins between 1923 and 1984 to people in all fifty states and internationally as well.
Soulé Steam Feed Works also patented the Simplex Automatic Lumber Edge Stacker in 1897, which would automate the process of stacking lumber. The first Edge Stacker was instaled in the mill of Camp & Hinton Company in Lumberton, Mississippi
in July 1895, and more than 100 were installed around the nation. Some notable mills in which Soulé Stackers were instaled include the Great Southern Lumber Company
in Bogalusa, Louisiana
; Grays Harbor Commercial Company in Cosmopolis, Washington
; and Potlatch Lumber Company in Elk River, Idaho
.
Other products manufactured and sold by Soulé Steam Feed Works include the St. Bernard Saw Mill Dog, which would allow mills to extract lumber not only from large logs but from smaller ones as well. A.D. Hunter, an employee of Steam Feed Works, invented a plane-to-plane air refueling device while at work, which was used during Fred and Al Key
's record-breaking endurance flight in 1935. Another employee, David Stephenson, fabricated the aluminum catwalk used during the flight to perform maintenance on the plane.
s, for what the company is most widely known. The festival has grown every year since and is the only steam show in the United States held at an actual steam engine factory.
The 2008 festival attracted nearly 2,000 people from 10 states to downtown Meridian. A Watts-Campbell Corliss steam engine
, built in 1905, had been offered to the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
, but they already had one, so it was given to the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum and installed during that year. The museum also owns the last steam engine ever built by the company.
The seventh annual festival in 2009 attracted several thousand visitors from 15 states and one foreign country. The event was also expanded to two days. During the event, the Watts-Campbell Corliss engine acquired in 2008 was demonstrated as well as an 1870 Manchester engine. Other steam engines were also brought in by the public and put on display. A portable sawmill was demonstrated as well.
Other demonstrations that regularly appear at the festival include blacksmith, broom-making, and pottery wheel demonstrations, as well as the operation of an antique print shop. Most of the displays at the festival have working examples that blow whistles, emit steam, and cut logs. Alabama Art Casting also holds an annual molten iron pour.
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1891 by George Soulé. The complex was listed as a contributing property to Union Station Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979 under the Meridian Multiple Resource Area (MRA). It was listed as a Mississippi Landmark in 2003. The business, known for its many patented innovations in steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
technology, reached its height around the turn of the century, producing products that were sold around the world.
In 2003, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum obtained the lease to the complex and has operated there since. The city holds an annual Soulé Live Steam Festival at the complex attracting thousands of people from around the nation.
George Soulé
George Wilberforce Soulé, founder of Soulé Steam Feed Works, was born in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in 1849. He was a descendant of another George Soule
George Soule
George Soule was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and one of the original 102 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.-Biography:...
who came to America on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
. At the age of one, he and his father, Isaac, moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. When young George was 20 years old, his father died, and he decided to leave the family farm and pursue his own livelihood. Despite having obtained less than one year of formal education, he served as a school teacher for one three month term before heading south to end up in Morton, Mississippi
Morton, Mississippi
Morton is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,482 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Morton is located at ....
, in 1875. He had originally missed a ship to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, but stayed at several businesses in Morton and Shubuta, Mississippi
Shubuta, Mississippi
Shubuta is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. Shubuta was incorporated in 1865. It had become a trading post community in the 1830s, but it was not until the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed under the Indian Removal Act and the Choctaw ceded the land to the United...
, before moving his operations to Meridian in 1879. Businesses operated by Soulé upon entering Meridian included a turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
company, a lumber company, a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
, and a manufacturer's representative. Before he moved to Meridian, he was involved in a railroad accident in March 1876 in which he lost his left leg and four toes of his right foot.
Soulé founded two other companies before Steam Feed Works, the Southern Standard Cotton Press Company and the Progress Manufacturing Company. Short of money after his railroad accident, he decided to build his own cotton press for his fledgling cotton gin. The invention was simpler and less expensive than those on the market and attracted wide attention. Soulé called his invention the Southern Standard Cotton Press and founded the company around this machine. In 1881, two years after he moved the business to Meridian, the company sold 750 cotton presses all over the South.
In 1886, Soulé sold the Southern Standard Press after founding Progress Manufacturing in 1894, and invented the Ideal Hay-Press for use in the new company. This new business was located on 5th Street between 26th and 27th Avenues and grew to include a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and machine shop. Looking to invent more, he turned over active management to Progress Manufacturing in 1888 and began working on a small rotary engine. He sold Progress Manufacturing in 1891 and established Steam Feed Works. The business was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in 1893. In total, Soulé patented over 40 items during his lifetime, including the Success Cotton Seed Huller and an improved version of the sugar mill.
In 1902, when the new Steam Feed Works had become well-established, Soulé found a country home in Santa Rosa County, Florida
Santa Rosa County, Florida
Santa Rosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 117,743, while a July 1, 2005, estimate placed the population at 143,105, an 18% increase making it the 84th fastest growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2005. ...
. He began to turn much of the company over to his son, Clyde, and spent more of his time in Florida, before returning to Meridian in 1917, where he stayed until his death on December 21, 1922. During his life he had two wives – Olivia Sherman Warren in 1873 and Constance Gara in 1907, two years after his former wife's death – and nine children. One of his grand children, also named George Soulé
George Soulé (musician)
George Soulé He is a descendant of George Soule who was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact and the grandson of George Soulé who founded the Soulé Steam Feed Works in Meridian. Mississippi...
, was an influential R&B songwriter in the 1960s and 70s.
Complex
Soulé Steam Feed Works was originally located at the corner of 25th Avenue and 5th Street. The first building built on the company's present lot was built between 1890 and 1892 was formerly the Meridian Candy Factory. After the building was devastated by fire, George Soulé bought it and turned it into a machine shop, assembly area, and office for the up-and-coming business, which would later relocate there. The two-story building's facade was originally brick, but a layer of lime cement stuccoStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
was added in the 1930s, and a second layer was added in the late 1960s. Inside the building is an 8 feet (2.4 m) x 12 feet (3.7 m) fireproof vault, which holds the original company records. Above the vault, the company is written in gold. The vault was added after an 1895 fire destroyed George Soulé's office and the records in it.
A second building was added on to the side of the original building in 1907, and the downstairs of the original building was converted into a mill supply store. Belt-driven machines are operated by a 100 feet (30.5 m) line drive shaft that stretches almost the entire length of the building. The drive shaft, now the longest operating drive in the country, was powered by an electric motor dating from the early 1920s. There is also a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop and two forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
s in the building, both of which are powered by the drive shaft. A belt-driven wooden freight elevator was used to take finished castings to the assembly room upstairs and lower the finished products back downstairs. A system of rails and cranes allowed this heavy machinery and other items to be transported easily to the elevator and throughout the building. The crane system could also move items to the foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
(built in 1917) and the machine shop, as well as out to the street. There is a steam engine factory on the second floor of the building which contains another 25 feet (7.6 m) shaft that was driven by the main downstairs shaft. Fans were attached to this smaller shaft to keep the area cool during the summer.
In October 1907 when the second building was built, Soulé employed 23 people in the foundry department and 23 machinists, making 46 total employees. By May 1917, the total number had dropped to 31 due to the shortage of manpower during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but employee totals increased again after the war, averaging 50 people between 1922 and 1945. Employees were paid an average of 50 to 70 cents per hour – the highest paying jobs in Meridian at the time – and the foreman
Construction foreman
A construction foreman is the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew. While traditionally this role has been assumed by a senior male worker, the title in the modern sense is gender non-specific in intent...
and supervisors would receive a weekly cash stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
of $7–9 dollars. Workers would be on duty six days a week for an average of nine hours per day.
A third building, the foundry, was added to the complex in 1917, and additions were made from 1923-25. A cupola furnace
Cupola furnace
A Cupola or Cupola furnace is a melting device used in foundries that can be used to melt cast iron, ni-resist iron and some bronzes. The cupola can be made almost any practical size. The size of a cupola is expressed in diameters and can range from . The overall shape is cylindrical and the...
that pre-dates the building itself was installed near the western end of the building and used to melt iron until a modern electric furnace was added in the 1970s. Both furnaces still exist in the building, and both can be used at the same time. In 1977 a Vulcan Engineering NoBake System was added. A fourth and fifth building were also added in the 1920s, although they were only used as storage and added no extra manufacturing ability to the complex.
Though during its peak the company produced and shipped many of its products around the world, after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company focused on the local and regional market. The upstairs of the original 1892 building was converted into storage in the 1950s. Other changes were also made in the latter half of the 20th century, including dividing the office space in the original building into cubicle
Cubicle
Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...
s, covering walls with Masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
board, and covering the floors with sheet vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
. The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum received the title to the building in December 2003 and restored the building largely to its 1920s appearance.
Products
The company is most widely known for serving the lumber industry that boomed from about 1885 to the 1930s. At the turn of the century, steam was the only portable and dependable source of power, and the Soulé Rotary Steam Engine was patented in 1896. The engine was used from 1892 to 1922 to drive sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
carriages, which would help feed lumber into a spinning saw blade. The engine could also power winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
es to load and unload logs to and from railroad cars and wagons. A total of 2,300 engines were built at the plant and sold around the world; a few are still in operation in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Other countries in which the engine was sold include South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Though the engines were touted as "the most durable and easily controlled" engines of the time, they were sometimes referred to as "steam hogs" because lots of steam was required to make them run. Soulé patented an improvement to the rotary engine in 1902, but more improvements were needed to keep up with competition.
The Soulé Spee-D-Twin, a two-cylinder reciprocating steam engine, was designed in 1922 and patented in 1923. Being much more efficient than its predecessor, the Spee-D-Twin became the favorite among sawmill operators. The engine featured a valve
Valve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
that allowed the engine to operate in both forward and reverse, and its small size allowed it to be retrofitted onto an existing carriage. When in full operation, the factory could produce one Spee-D-Twin per day. The company built and sold 4,301 Spee-D-Twins between 1923 and 1984 to people in all fifty states and internationally as well.
Soulé Steam Feed Works also patented the Simplex Automatic Lumber Edge Stacker in 1897, which would automate the process of stacking lumber. The first Edge Stacker was instaled in the mill of Camp & Hinton Company in Lumberton, Mississippi
Lumberton, Mississippi
Lumberton is a city in Lamar and Pearl River Counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in July 1895, and more than 100 were installed around the nation. Some notable mills in which Soulé Stackers were instaled include the Great Southern Lumber Company
Great Southern Lumber Company
In 1906, the Great Southern Lumber Company was founded in Bogalusa, Washington Parish, Louisiana by Frank Henry Goodyear and Charles Waterhouse Goodyear, and others investors mostly from Buffalo, New York area....
in Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,365 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa...
; Grays Harbor Commercial Company in Cosmopolis, Washington
Cosmopolis, Washington
Cosmopolis is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,649 at the 2010 census. The city is often referred to by locals by its unofficial motto: "Cosmopolis: City.....
; and Potlatch Lumber Company in Elk River, Idaho
Elk River, Idaho
Elk River is a city in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elk River is located at ....
.
Other products manufactured and sold by Soulé Steam Feed Works include the St. Bernard Saw Mill Dog, which would allow mills to extract lumber not only from large logs but from smaller ones as well. A.D. Hunter, an employee of Steam Feed Works, invented a plane-to-plane air refueling device while at work, which was used during Fred and Al Key
The Flying Keys
Brothers Fred and Al Key became interested in aviation after World War I. They started doing some barnstorming in the 1920s and continued their interest as the managers of the Meridian Municipal Airport, in Meridian, Mississippi....
's record-breaking endurance flight in 1935. Another employee, David Stephenson, fabricated the aluminum catwalk used during the flight to perform maintenance on the plane.
Soulé Live Steam Festival
Beginning in October 2003, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum began holding the Soulé Live Steam Festival, which showcases the history of steam engineSteam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, for what the company is most widely known. The festival has grown every year since and is the only steam show in the United States held at an actual steam engine factory.
The 2008 festival attracted nearly 2,000 people from 10 states to downtown Meridian. A Watts-Campbell Corliss steam engine
Corliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss in Providence, Rhode Island....
, built in 1905, had been offered to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, but they already had one, so it was given to the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum and installed during that year. The museum also owns the last steam engine ever built by the company.
The seventh annual festival in 2009 attracted several thousand visitors from 15 states and one foreign country. The event was also expanded to two days. During the event, the Watts-Campbell Corliss engine acquired in 2008 was demonstrated as well as an 1870 Manchester engine. Other steam engines were also brought in by the public and put on display. A portable sawmill was demonstrated as well.
Other demonstrations that regularly appear at the festival include blacksmith, broom-making, and pottery wheel demonstrations, as well as the operation of an antique print shop. Most of the displays at the festival have working examples that blow whistles, emit steam, and cut logs. Alabama Art Casting also holds an annual molten iron pour.