10 Facts About James Rumsey

James Rumsey was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in present-day West Virginia before a crowd of local notables, including Horatio Gates.

James Rumsey likely had moved to the area with his family some years before the American Revolution, from Cecil County, Maryland, where he had helped to run the family water mill at Bohemia Manor.

James Rumsey's cousin was Benjamin Rumsey, a notable Maryland jurist and statesman, who grew up at Bohemia Manor.

James Rumsey had quickly concluded that the pole-boat design was too limited and decided to incorporate steam propulsion into his design.

The work required much manual labor and difficult blasting, and James Rumsey found himself directing a large and restive gang of about a hundred workmen, including leased slaves and bondsmen, encamped in a remote area, without adequate supplies.

James Rumsey's resignation was accepted and his assistant, Richardson Stewart, was given his job.

When James Rumsey finally tested the boat, it proved very unsatisfactory.

James Rumsey quickly followed, armed with affidavits from those who had seen his steamboat or been involved with its creation.

James Rumsey was buried in London at Saint Margaret's Church.

James Rumsey was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1789.