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by MARK POWELL
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Strange as it sounds now, Charleston, South Carolina, was once the high-tech capital of the United States. It held that title for one glorious day – which just so happened to be Christmas Day 1830, exactly 195 years ago.
It was all thanks to a plucky little invention that was destined to reshape our nation. But first, the back story…
Nearly two centuries ago, much of Europe and the young United States were in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Machines were changing everything – including the way people traveled. Since the dawn of time, if you wanted to go somewhere, you had three options. If your destination was over water, you could sail by boat powered by wind or by rowing. Animals, chiefly horses, were the next best option. Otherwise, you had to hoof it on foot.
That was it.
But in the first quarter of the 19th Century, a fourth option was becoming available: steam power. The Brits led the way in advancing this new technology, creating coal-fired locomotives that crept — ever so slowly at first — along metal rails. It didn’t take long for this new invention to reach our side of the pond, arriving just in time for America’s big westward expansion.
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In Maryland, businessmen were looking for a new, faster way to move crops, livestock, and materials from the new states west of the Appalachian Mountains to Baltimore’s seaport. They were competing with a series of canals and turnpikes all trying to do the very same thing.
That’s when an inventor named Peter Cooper pitched an idea. Cooper was fascinated by the new-fangled imported British steam engines, believing their possibilities were limitless. To prove it, he challenged his little locomotive – the Tom Thumb – to a race with a horse-drawn car.
Sometime in late August or September 1830 (sources differ on the exact date), the little iron horse squared off against a real horse on an eight-mile stretch of track from Relay House to Baltimore.
Cooper’s engine got off to a good start, easily pulling ahead of its rival. But then, just when things were going well, a blower belt slipped – breaking down the locomotive as the horse trotted on to victory.
Still, the race wound up being a classic case of losing the battle but winning the war. That’s because the demonstration convinced the businessmen in attendance where the future lay. Their new venture, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, would be pulled by steam rather than by horsepower.
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Americans everywhere soon became fascinated by this new form of conveyance. And three months later, the nation’s eyes were drawn to the Palmetto State for the next big advancement in steam locomotion.
Much like their counterparts in Baltimore, Charleston businessmen had a similar vision for moving freight. They wanted to tap into the lucrative supply of goods in Augusta, Georgia, and tempt sellers away from shipping them out of a rival port in Savannah, Georgia. Doing so would be a huge business boon to the Holy City.
These business leaders were convinced steam-powered trains could make that happen, leading to the creation of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. Which, in turn, brings us to Christmas Day 1830.
The adventure began in October, when a special shipment was unloaded at the port. Crates had been shipped from West Point Foundry in New York. Mechanics quickly unpacked them and set about assembling their contents.
When they were finished, they were looking at what some historians believe was the first steam locomotive built entirely in the U.S. It’s worth recalling at this point that first few generations of locomotives were christened, just as ships and boats still are today. Much in the same way financial backers made sure their city’s names made it onto Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis a century later, Holy City merchants made sure this new contraption carried theirs. So it was named the Best Friend of Charleston.
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A large crowd showed up on Saturday, December 25, 1830 for the Best Friend’s maiden run. The date was not coincidental. It was picked for maximum promotional value. There were few holidays back then, so launching the service on Christmas meant many folks had the day off from work.
An astonishing 141 people paid 25 cents apiece for a ticket, roughly $9 today. They included William Aiken, Sr., the new railroad’s president and founder, and Horatio Allen, its chief engineer, who had previously studied locomotives in England. Surviving accounts make no mention of the weather that day, but we can presume conditions were favorable. We also don’t know when the whistle screeched, and the train departed; most likely, it was in the afternoon, since some churches held Christmas morning services, and there were no railroad headlights yet for travel after dark.
With a jerk and shouts of joy and a healthy coating of coal soot pouring from its smokestack, the Best Friend took off. It wasn’t a long trip; the little train went roughly six miles to where the tracks stopped (near today’s Ladson). There were a few stops and starts, and since the rails were newly laid, the engineer was exceedingly careful. Chugging along at speeds of six to seven miles per hour, the journey took about an hour.
When the little train finally arrived, history had been made. Although the distance was short, it was still highly symbolic. That’s because the Best Friend of Charleston had just made the first commercial railroad trip in American history.
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Other cities, including Baltimore, had talked about having an operational railroad one day. Charleston’s was now up and running.
The Best Friend remained in service as the amount of rail mileage grew and grew. But that service didn’t last long. A little more than six months after its maiden voyage, it set another far less fortunate “first.”
On July 17, 1831, the pioneering little engine exploded, killing the fireman and showering metal debris over a wide area in the country’s first steam locomotive boiler explosion. Even then, though, its story wasn’t completely over; salvageable parts were gathered and used in the construction of a new engine, the Phoenix, which operated for the next thirty years.
Today, the remarkable story of America’s first commercial engine is kept alive at the Best Friend of Charleston Museum, located at 42 John Street, near the Charleston Museum. A full-scale replica is on display.
The museum’s story is a lasting reminder of that one, brief, shining moment when the entire nation stood in awe of South Carolina’s technological advancement – which began with a Christmas miracle nearly two centuries ago.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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2 comments
Great tale Mark!
Very interesting, as always Mark!