Amazing Innovation: Johnson 1922-1965 will take place at 7 p.m., June 21 at Boothbay Railway Village. This talk will look at the genius and partnership of the four Johnson brothers of Terre Haute, Ind.
On Tuesday, June 20 and on Wednesday, June 21, outboard motor historian Larry Stevenson will present two talks exploring major innovations in outboard motor design in the early 20th century.
“Evinrude 1935-1965 – The Ralph Years” explores the changes Ralph Evinrude brought to outboard motors and to the company his parents founded. “Evinrude 1935-1965 – The Ralph Years” will take place at 7 p.m., June 20.
“Amazing Innovation: Johnson 1922-1965” will take place at 7 p.m., June 21. This talk looks at the genius and partnership of the four Johnson brothers of Terre Haute, Ind. The Johnson brothers started building inboard two-cycle marine engines in 1903 in a barn behind their house and by 1910 they were building the first U.S. monoplane to exhibit their aircraft engines. In 1912, torrential rain, followed by flooding and a direct hit from a tornado, severely damaged their factory. Incredibly, they started again and created Johnson Brothers Engineering in 1918. In 1922, they designed and built a radical new lightweight outboard made largely of aluminum and by the mid-1920s, they surpassed Evinrude in sales.
After each talk, Stevenson will conduct a tour of the newly opened Stevenson Outboard Collection at Boothbay Railway Village, focusing on the outboard motors discussed in the presentation.
Admission is free; a suggested donation of $5 is appreciated. The talks will take place at Boothbay Railway Village, 586 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay. For more information, go to railwayvillage.org or call 633-4727.
