New England Wireless and Steam Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1964 |
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| Location | East Greenwich, Rhode Island |
The New England Wireless and Steam Museum is a cool place in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It's a museum all about old machines, especially amazing steam engines and early radio technology. You can see how these inventions worked long ago!
The museum was started in 1964 by Robert Merriam. It has five main buildings, each with its own special collection.
Contents
What You Can See
Wireless Technology
One building at the museum is full of old wireless (radio) equipment. You can learn how people communicated over long distances before modern phones and the internet.
The Massie Wireless Station
The Massie Wireless Station, also known as PJ, is a very special part of the museum. It was built way back in 1907! This makes it the oldest working wireless station still around in the world. It was moved to the museum's site in 1982 to save it from being torn down.
Steam Engines and More
Another museum building is home to a fantastic collection of steam engines. These are powerful machines that use steam to create movement. You can even see the only working George H. Corliss engine that still runs on steam today!
Engineering Library
The Mayes building holds a special library. It's filled with old engineering textbooks and cool models of steam engines. It's a great place to learn about the history of mechanical engineering.
The Meeting House
There's also a historic meeting house on the museum grounds. It was built in 1822 and is now used as an assembly hall for the museum. This building was moved here in 1972 from a nearby church to save it. It's part of the Tillinghast Road Historic District and can even be rented for events like weddings.
Museum's Special Recognition
The New England Wireless and Steam Museum is located within the Tillinghast Road Historic District. This whole area is important for its history. In 1992, the museum was named an engineering history Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This means it's a really important place for understanding how engineering has changed over time. Later, in 2001, the Massie Wireless Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
As of August 2022, the person in charge of the museum's board of directors is Randy Snow.
See also
