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| The King Steam Car - Osgood Historical Museum |
The
Ripley County Historic Marker
King Steam Car - Sycamore Street
Inscription:
Built in Osgood in 1897 by Henry P. King and his helper James Humphrey. Mr. King owned the Osgood Foundry and Machine Shop. The King Steam Car featured rear drum brakes and pinion steering, the only car built in Ripley County. The car was registered with the State of Indiana in 1904. Mr. King purchased the four lots here in 1877 and built the Mansford Roof style home in 1885.
Brief History by the Author:
Osgood resident Henry P. King designed and built the steam powered car on display in the Osgood Museum. Mr. King and his brother in law brother-in-law, James Humphrey, owned the Osgood Machine and Foundry Shop in Osgood. They made most of the metal parts. He had the Huber Buggy Company in Cincinnati build the body and ship it to Osgood in 1897. Mr. King had the car running by 1898 and registered it with the State of Indiana in 1904. The car became the first automobile driven in Southeastern Indiana. The water for the car was stored in a tank under the seat. A tank for kerosene in the trunk and a toolbox for the tools needed to keep the car running is in also in the trunk. The rear drum brakes and pinion steering were among some of the innovative features that would not regularly appear on automobile until later years. According to local lore, King's family lived in Benham, Indiana and King needed to car to visit them. He used the car until the steering gear broke and he needed a monkey wrench to steer the car home. The car survived several owners and a brush with a salvage company. After King died, someone sold the car to a salvage yard. Osgood resident Henry Humphrey rescued the car from the junk yard and stored it. The car appeared in the 1956 Osgood Centennial Parade and again in Columbus Indiana parade in 1962 when Vice President Richard Nixon made a visited Indiana. Paul Sholle purchased the car and restored it in 1984. The Osgood Historical Museum has the car on display, apparently still in working condition.
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