American Society of Mechanical Engineers Collection
name: label: Creator
content: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry
label: Names
content: Vogel, Robert M.
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection assembled by the Division of Work and Industry.
creator: label: Creator
content: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
setName: label: See more items in
content: American Society of Mechanical Engineers Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the activities of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
bioghist: label: Historical
content: ASME was founded in 1880 to provide a setting for engineers to discuss the concerns brought by the rise of industrialization and mechanization.

The Society's founders were some of the more prominent machine builders and technical innovators of the late nineteenth century; led by prominent steel engineer Alexander Lyman Holley, Henry Rossiter Worthington and John Edison Sweet.

Holley chaired the first meeting, which was held in the New York editorial offices of the American Machinist, on February 16th, with thirty people in attendance. From this date onward, the society ran formal meetings to discuss development of standard tools and machine parts as well as uniform work practices. However, it wasn't until 1905 that a major turning point gave new definition to ASME's purpose and impact on civilian life.

Steam powered the technology of the late 19th century. Despite their power, boilers and pressure vessels were temperamental, requiring constant attention and maintenance. Although there were numerous boiler explosions throughout the 19th century, there were no legal codes for boilers in any state in the Union. Undoubtedly one of the most important incidents that proved the need for developing boiler laws was the Grover Shoe Factory Disaster in Brockton, Massachusetts on March 10, 1905.

An older boiler, used as a backup during maintenance on the newer model, exploded, rocketing through three floors and the building's roof. Broken beams and heavy machinery trapped many workers who survived the initial explosion and collapse. Burning coals thrown from the boiler landed throughout the crumbling superstructure, starting fires that were fed by broken gas lines. The explosion resulted in 58 deaths and 117 injuries.

It was this catastrophe that gave Massachusetts the impetus to establish a five-man Board of Boiler Rules, whose charge was to write a boiler law for the state; this board published its boiler laws in 1908.

Having established the Boiler Testing Code in 1884, ASME formed a Boiler Code Committee in 1911 that led to the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) being published in 1915. The BPVC was later incorporated into laws in most US states and territories and Canadian provinces.

ASME's rich publication history—including standards, theory, and technical journals—made a great deal of technical and biographical information available to engineers and policy makers. These publications form a substantial and tangible connection to the past that proves inspirational to ASME members to this day.

Source

American Society of Mechanical Engineers website, https://www.asme.org/about-asme/engineering-history (accessed on September 19, 2023)
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.25 Cubic feet (7 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1926-2003
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection ransferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry, February 2022.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1522
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Brochures
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Pamphlets
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection is arranged into three series.

Series 1: History and Heritage Commission, 1970-1984	

Series 2: National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark Brochures National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark Brochures, 1973-2003	

	
Series 3: Applied Mechanics Division Applied Mechanics Division, 1926-1981
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2023.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Brochures
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Pamphlets
scopecontent: label: Content Description
content: Collection consists of pamphlets, brochures and correspondence, and publications for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), especially the Applied Mechanics Division. Also included is documentation for the History Heritage Committee of ASME, particularly nomination forms and brochures for the Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark Program.